


Forks Of Destiny

by kuhekabir



Category: Dark Angel, Supernatural
Genre: Angst, Crossover, Dubious Consent, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-05-07
Updated: 2011-07-02
Packaged: 2017-10-19 02:51:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 29,184
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/196025
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kuhekabir/pseuds/kuhekabir
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Two lives, two worlds, one destiny. How will it all end when the future which should've never been collides with the past? One sacrifice changed the course of history but not everyone is happy with the outcome. With Dean gone Sam is at loose ends but was it fate which brought Alec back in time or is there a much more sinister plan underfoot? Only time will tell but what if time is running out? Will the world end a second time around?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first crossover story. To set this story up, Dean will have given his life to save the world at the end 'Lucifer Rising' so while there may be spoilers for the following season, SPN is definity major AU after that. And when it comes to Dark Angel, it is set after the end of season 2 but I am taking great liberty with how I interpret a few things from the show. This is a cross over mostly for fun, because I wanted to write one for so long so eventually I gave in. The pairing here will be Sam / Alec.
> 
> You can also follow this story over at LJ:
> 
> [Forks Of Destiny Masterpost](http://kuhekabir-fics.livejournal.com/85809.html)

Sam, May 2011

Sam woke with a start, sitting up ramrod straight in this bed, white bedsheets loosely pooling around his waist. His chest rose and fell in unnatural gasps and his fingers were clenching the soft cotton, nearly ripping it to shreds.

It's been nearly two years since his brother died, sacrificing himself to stop the end of the world and no night since then had been peaceful. The moment he closed his eyes he was back in that church, watching in horror at the white, blinding light spreading, threatening to engulf it all while the nightmare of what he had done was slowly settling in, gnawing at his insides.

All this time he had thought to be the one doing the right thing; defying is brother, even risking loosing his love altogether by trusting a demon, doing what he thought to be right. His intentions had been good but how did the saying go again? The road to hell was paved with good intentions and he was living proof of that!

Killing Lilith should've been the end, he should've been able to turn to Dean, smile at him and then they could've gone out to celebrate, maybe even discuss getting out of hunting, doing something new for a change.

Dean had never really spoken about his time spent in hell but what Sam had been able to gleam it hadn't been pretty and in retrospect he had to admit, he hadn't been making things any easier for his brother either.

Good intentions and all that crap. Now he had nothing to show for it; the demon who had played him might be dead, Lilith who had dragged his brother to hell might be dead, hell, even Lucifer was locked up again and the end of the world had been averted but since then his life had somehow stopped being worth living.

He wasn't about to off himself though; he wouldn't dishonour the memory of his brother, his sacrifice, by shuffling off this mortal coil before his time was up but every morning it got just a little bit harder to get up.

After all, how was he supposed to live with himself knowing his own brother, the only family he had left, had done what he couldn't do? Giving his life to save the world. He wished he could shout to the world what a hero his brother was, he wished he could get the people to sing his praise, remember his name for all time to come but sadly, only a few hunters were aware of what had happened and while they did whisper Dean's name in honour, it honestly wasn't enough. And it never would be.

Sam wasn't quite sure what had happened. He had raised his hand, shielding his eyes while Dean let out a scream which could only be described as a warcry followed by shouting yes and yes all over and then his brother had jumped into the light.

An explosion followed, sending Sam flying through the door and landing in a heap on the cold stone floor, passing out even though he was fighting to stay concious.

When he came too, the light was gone, the circle un-marred and Dean's broken body laid in the middle of it. Rushing towards his brother he had already known it was too late but at least he had still been in time to catch his brother's last word.

“I said yes, Sammy,” Dean whispered, words barely audible any more so Sam had to lean in really close, feeling his brother's hot breath ghosting over his skin.

“Yes to what?” Sam asked, having no clue what Dean was talking about but he didn't get any answers either. At least not at the time.

“He's back in the cage, you're save...all's good...”

Dean blinked, green eyes focusing on Sam before he watched the life drain out of his brother. His hot breath stopped ghosting over his skin, the eyes which usually were vibrant grew distant and cold until, almost quite literally, the light went out in them.

Sam wanted to rail against the world, scream his anguish out for anyone to hear but when Castiel later came to find him, he was still sitting on the cold floor, cradling his brother's dead body in his arms.

“He did it for all of us,” The angel explained, words washing over him but it would need days for him to fully comprehend what had happened.

Dean had been the final weapon in killing Lucifer and by saying yes to an archangel in their hour of need, the angel had taken over Dean's body, much like Castiel had done with Jimmy, and then the angel had wielded his sword, beating Lucifer back, throwing him back into his cage with the locks firmly in place once again.

Castiel had been cryptic on many other things; apparently this wasn't quite how this should've gone done. There had been a grand plan by some of his kind and this hadn't been in it but Sam actually didn't feel all that much animosity towards Michael because if he hadn't taken Dean over right that moment, the apocalypse would've played out.

The world would've turned into a battle field, the cities would've run red with blood of humans while demons and angel fought their war, careless of the human suffering left behind in their wake. By sacrificing the righteous man who had started it all, all of this suffering had been avoided and the world was once again able to continue existing as if nothing had happened.

Still, Sam couldn't help but rail at the fates for taking his brother from him. Dean had gone to hell for him, he had come back damaged and in the end, he had paid the price for Sam's stupidity because if he hadn't dropped the ball, if he hadn't let Jake get the drop on him, then he would've never died, Dean would've never made any stupid deals and this whole mess could've been averted.

But no, he had to be careless, get himself stabbed and not only ruin his own life but that of his brother too. Hadn't Dean sacrificed enough?

He hadn't seen it as a child, hell, he hadn't even seen it as a grown up and it had taken Dean's death for him to fully understand what his brother had done for him. And what had he given him in return?

Nothing but grief.

So to say that Sam wasn't a happy camper at the moment would have been an understatement.

The only reason why he wasn't out there, trying to make deals, finding some way to bring his brother back was because the world needed that one single event to remain as it was and regardless of his own grief, Sam wasn't selfish enough to risk setting off the apocalypse a second time around.

He sighed, rubbing his forehead before falling back onto his bed. A glance at the watch on the night stand told him it was the dead of the night and he closed his eyes, hoping for some uninterrupted sleep till morning.

He was unaware of events playing out in a distant future, in a distant time line where the apocalypse hadn't been averted and where the world had turned out to be a much grimmer place indeed. In that world an event called the Pulse had changed life as we knew it and sometimes, well, sometimes fate was a cruel mistress but she was rarely unkind.

Second chances sometimes came in the strangest of packages and sometimes they had to be grabbed by the horns, forced into shape and sometimes, they might actually fall into your lap.

Anything was possible. Nothing was ever written in stone and Sam, well Sam was going to learn that lesson. One way or the other.


	2. Chapter 2

Alec, May 2020

Running was second nature to him. Maybe because in one way or the other he had spent his entire life running even if not in the physical sense of the word.

The night flew past him as he dashed through the forest, jumping over fallen branches and avoiding falling down holes by using his excellent night vision to guide him.

Still, whoever was chasing him was good, almost as good as he was and it galled him to have to admit to such a thing.

Max would pay for this, he thought, after all it was her fault for sending him out this far on a mission. Supplies were running low in Terminal City and they needed someone out there who could blend in, sweet talk the natives so to speak to set up trade routes.

On a good day he would admit that Max and Logan had done quite a bit of work in setting up their newly found nation but growing pains were always difficult and frankly their new nation was more like a pile of shit waiting to explode than a happy family.

Still, Max might be annoying, he might lack vision (her words, not his) but he could say what he wanted about the girl, she was a competent leader and she seemed to know what she was going. People followed her and even though he had always thought to be more of a lone wolf than belonging to a herd, he was still there, wasn't he? He was helping her doing what he did best and even though they still bickered every time they met, they seemed to have gained some sort of brotherly-sisterly understanding.

Kind of like family, even though Alec wouldn't know the first thing about having a family. Growing up in the Manticore facility had never taught him about family and he had never had the so called privilege of escaping with the 09ers either, creating their own sort of family bond on the way.

Of course having a twin who'd gone around the deep end, killing in the name of the Lady and being all around totally nuts hadn't helped him either and he still sometimes caught Max looking at him, wondering if he would crack under the strain too.

He hadn't to date and he honestly didn't think he would and if ever asked, he would never admit to even having doubts because nothing ever rankled his feathers. Mr. Smooth, that's who he was.

Still, he could admit it now, the foreboding he had felt when he had left Terminal City had proven to be right and he wasn't one to believe in some sort of funny other senses because his make and model didn't come with extra, enhanced skills. Well, at least not those kind of skills. He had plenty of other talents but they were all physical in nature and had nothing to do with having visions or any of that crap.

Still, the unease he had felt since leaving the city had only grown and frankly, the next time around he would pay it heed even if he felt stupid doing it.

He had been careful but the sense of being watched, of not being alone had been impossible to shake and even those crazy ass freaks which followed Ames White wouldn't have been able to hide from him for hours on end. It might be a stupid phrase but in the end, believe it or not, they were all human. Well, some maybe more than others but the sentiment was still true!

He dashed through some shrubbery ignoring the stings on his face and on his bare arms before he found himself in a clearing.

Bad choice, he thought, making to turn around to head back into the forest when something almost quite literally came flying at him.

The impact caused him to stumble, body tensing and working against the force of the impact but he hadn't quite been prepared and with a loud thump he landed on his rear.

His ears were ringing, blood was oozing form his leg, coating the soft ground underneath him and when he saw something gleaming in the dark of the night what look suspiciously like a knife, he used his head to rear up, head butting the other man. This wasn't his preferred method to fight back since it always left him with a horrible headache but beggars couldn't be choosers and right now he needed to get his fellow off him.

He was stronger than a mere human and there was something entirely off about him. Something different than a fellow transgenic and something very much unlike White's followers. He couldn't quite put his finger on it but something was different. Call it a sixth sense of sort, something primal rearing up deep inside him, knowing without a shred of doubt that he was facing someone, or something, a lot stronger than him.

With a grunt the man briefly let go off him, giving Alec enough time to wedge a knee into the man's abdomen causing him to gasp for breath, giving him the chance to get in yet another kick and to roll sideways.

With one fluid motion he grabbed the knife looking thing which had landed on the ground, eyeing it as he pulled it up, holding it in his hand, ready to strike.

It was a beautiful weapon; unlike any he had seen before, glistering in the moonlight as if it had a power of its own. It could be best described as a long dagger of sorts or maybe as a miniature blade but either way it made absolutely no sense for anyone to carry around something like this when a standard, an ordinary blade would do the trick.

No, there must be a reason why this man was carrying this weapon and he sure as hell must have a good reason to chase him through the woods, trying to kill him but all Alec managed to do was open his lips to ask his questions before with a nearly inhuman snarl the man hurled himself at him again.

Reflexes kicked him, he side stepped the man, raising his hand to land a punch to the man's face but strangely his hand never connected with a body, instead all he did was hit air.

“What?” he mumbled, hurling around when he heard a noise behind him. Rational sense told him that there was no way for the man to disappear and magically reappear behind him, unless he had somehow master flight and not even Manticore with its crazy engineering had managed that.

“You are an abomination,” the man snarled at him and Alec had to roll his eyes, waving the blade in the man's face, flipping it from one hand to the other, demonstrating a skill and confidence he wasn't quite feeling at the moment.

If he had learned anything in his eventful life than it was to mask any sense of insecurity he felt for if it he pretended long enough to know what he was doing then eventually the sentiment would come true.

“Tell me something I don't know,” Alec shot back because being attacked for being different, for not being fully human but better in many ways wasn't something new.

The night grew eerily still, as if even the animals all around them knew something out of the ordinary was happening. No leaves were rustling in the wind and Alec's green eyes were slightly comically wide while he noticed how still everything had turned. All he could hear was the whoosh of his every breath leaving his body, nothing else made a sound, as if the world was holding its breath, watching while the event unfolded. His eyes never wavered, fixated on the man in front of him while the man with nearly inhuman intensity stared right back. If such a thing were possible, Alec would even consider to being watched by glowing eyes because no human he had ever come across had eyes which could shine in moonlight.

No, whoever this guy was, he clearly wasn't human. He was crazy though, he didn't doubt that.

He flew sideways a mere seconds after a strange sound like the flapping of wings echoed from behind him, narrowly ducking a punch which could very well have taken his head off if he hadn't avoided getting hit.

He rolled in mid air, coming to stand with his legs apart, his body in perfect balance, ready to roll with the punches surly coming his way.

Still, he might be well trained, an expert fighter and some might even call him a hunter but when faced with two creatures like this, even he knew he was going to be outmatched.

“There's no escaping this,” the newcomer said with almost sadness and when he moved the earth seemed to stand still, grass seemed to part and even the air seemed to move out of his way.

Power, this was what he was seeing, raw and undiluted power and for the first time Alec had to admit to feeling something akin to almost mind numbing fear. The tiny hairs at the back of his neck were standing up right, his entire body was vibrating with the need to get away, to maybe hurl himself to the ground and pray to anyone listening but he wasn't made that way.

He couldn't run, not even if he wanted to because he was no coward. He would stand his ground and having made his decision, he raised his hand, the beautiful sword glistering in the darkness, cutting through the air and almost humming in pleasure.

He had made a mistake though; too focused on the guy before him, the new arrival, he hadn't noticed the other man vanishing into thin air and he only got a hair breath's warning before the man literally popped into existence right before him.

The flapping of wings and air being parted like some sort of gigantic bird arriving was distracting enough and it was pure reflex which had him once again reacting, falling sideways out of harms way while lifting the blade and bringing it home.

It pierced the man's chest, dead centre into the heart because Alec could find the heart even with his eyes closed but while there was some blood seeping out of what should be a deadly wound, what nearly startled him senseless was that bright, white light seemed to oozing out of the wound.

Without a sound the man flew backwards, black wings seemed to stretch by his sides, an extension of his arms and under the glistering moonlight the man or creature took his last breath, white light fading into the darkness.

He lost precious seconds standing there, staring wide eyed, ignoring the dangers all around him before he was flung sideways, head connecting forcefully with a rock on the ground.

Still, no mind numbing pain was going to keep him down, so he scrambled upwards, crouching in a defensive position but he never got this far. Pain shot through his right leg, causing him to scream, falling sideways, landing on his back on the ground.

The man's frame seemed huge against the light of the moon, the muted rays a stark contrast to the darkness of the forest. His eyes were focused on the weird short blade, raised high up, ready to come down to kill before there was yet another flopping of wings and then, well then the world fell sideways and he knew no more.


	3. Chapter 3

May, 2011

Leaves rustling in the wind; an owl oohoooing somewhere in the dark; the clean break of a fallen branch somewhere in the forest followed by more leaves rustling and some night time animal moving through the forest, hunting its prey.

Alec slowly opened his eyes; his body was humming with pain but a quick internal check told him that he wasn't damaged beyond repair. A few minor bruises which would be painful but nothing to worry about and a gash on his right thigh.

His head hurt like hell too. He slowly raised a hand, touching the back of his head, hissing when he came in contact with the spot that had become too closely acquainted with a lone rock.

He slowly sat up, using both hands to steady himself.

He might appear confused, relaxed, like a harmless young man lost in the forest but appearances could be deceiving and right now he was on high alert.

Still, the forest remained quite around him. Not strangers lurking around in the darkness, no weird knives glistering in the shadows and more importantly his sixth sense was deadly quiet.

No danger here, at least not out of the extraordinary kind his senses told him.

He vowed never to ignore anything he was feeling again because if he had listened to the sense of dread before he had left Terminal City he might have been more prepared to what had happened. And at the very least he would've packed more weapons.

He slowly touched his right thigh, hissing once more in pain. A clean cut, he decided, painful and bleeding like a stuck pig but it wasn't going to kill him. He quickly took of his shirt, ripped it to shreds and then tied the remaining pieces securely around the wound, stopping the blood flow.

This would have to do until he got out of here, until he could examine the wound in better light.

He looked left and right. The clearing was still the same and thankfully he had a good sense of direction so he knew which way he had come from, he would be able to retrace his steps, locate his bike and finish the deal he had come all the way out here for.

He might want to high tail it out of crazy land but he wasn't going to leave Max hanging. She needed this deal, they needed the supplies and no crazy short knife wielding lunatics were going to stop him from completing his mission.

Max and he though were going to have some words. She must have known something was off. She had seemed keen on seeing him gone while at the same time almost apprehensive. It wouldn't be the first time the bitch had kept something from him but by all that was holy, it would the last time!

He stumbled onto his feet, swaying slightly as his damaged thigh protested the new weight. He gingerly took a few steps, testing his limits before heading out. A white, silvery gleam caught his eyes and he stopped, crouching down to retrieve whatever was shining in the moonlight.

He stared at the odd blade, wondering if he should keep it, deciding to pocket it for now because this was his only proof that something odd had happened to him tonight. And who knew; maybe in better light he would be able to get some clues off it.

He lifted the leg of his trousers, pushing the short blade into the empty knife holder outside his boot and then settling the trouser leg over it once more. The little stowaway place for a knife had come in handy more than once and even though he didn't believe in meant to be, he couldn't deny it had come in handy to have left his usual knife with his bike. Now at least he had a place to store the strange weapon until he could give it some proper attention.

This time his trek through the forest was made in quiet, slow steps with one ear always listening out for any strange noises around him but apart from the typical sounds to be expected inside a forest at night nothing else stirred around him. The dead quite was almost unsettling in his own right but Alec wasn’t one to be deterred where other mortals would’ve cowered in fear. Common sense, bravery or stupidity – according to some either definition would apply to him and his usual headstrong attitude to rush into danger.

The quiet was almost lulling him into a trance of sort until a scream echoed through the night which had his toes curling and had him nearly reeling backwards. To describe it as inhuman would be an understatement. It was a sound he had never heard before, a mix between a human male voice and an animal (wolf maybe?) roaring in the night, ready for attack.

Gun shots echoed through the darkness followed by more noises akin to fighting and he was moving long before he could make a conscious decision to run towards the new sounds. He wouldn't describe himself as the type of man to lend a helping hand to someone in need without there being a reason for him to profit but if this creature was something Manticore had cooked up and if it actually killed some innocent man than all they had done, all of Max's and Logan's efforts would have been in vain and he couldn't let that happen.

Besides, if something dangerous was out there then he needed to know about it, kill it and then report back to home base because usually where there was one there were others and they would have to send a team out here to take care of the rest. This didn't happen often but when it did, they always offered their fellow transgenics a place in their new city but if they refused and continued to attack like rabid dogs, putting them all in dangers, then they always put them down.

It was rational and while some more tender hearted would disagree, neither one of his new family had the luxury for feelings, not when they were fighting for their very survival.

He broke through some more bushes coming out yet into another short clearing and he made a mental note in the back of his mind to stay clear from clearings from now on because apparently nothing good ever happened in them.

Anyway, an older man was on the ground, putting up a valiant fight but a creature right out of some horror stories was leaning over him, claws snapping at him, trying to tear him to shreds.

“Hey!” Alec shouted, “Why don't you pick on someone your own size!”

Even standing at his tallest, the moment the creature let go of the man, standing up to send a somewhat baffled look his way, Alec had to admit that maybe he had spoken in haste. Standing tall, the thing was a head or two taller than him. The human body of man was barely recognizable any more. Where hands were supposed to be claws were snapping back and forth, eager to tear into flesh and the mouth was more like a nuzzle. Over all, he looked like a werewolf of some of the stories Alec had heard, a cross between a human and a wolf and yes, a quick glance towards the sky told him that it was indeed fool moon.

He rolled his eyes. Manticore had come up with quite a few fucked up things but a werewolf? Seriously?

Still, he had made his bed and he was going to lie in it and frankly between him and the guy on the ground, his chances of survival were definitely better. The creature hunched forward, snarling at him and then moved quicker than he had anticipated. The knife was still strapped inside his boot and he would've welcomed its sharp blade at the moment but he knew better than to waste precious time trying to dig it out.

He was swift, probably a hair's breath quicker than the creature, side stepping it just in time before the claws could cut a slice of meat out of his skin. Man, this thing was fast. But he was no slouch and he firmly believed in taking the fight to his opponent so where a maybe more rational human being would've retreated, Alec charged. And if asked, well, he wasn't fully human, right? So technically it wasn't his fault that he didn't know how to stand down and act like a sensible person, right?

Shelving this train of thought for now, Alec dove for the creature, sending it sprawling backwards, landing a few good punches before pinning it face first into the ground. His hands grabbed a fist of hair, yanking the head forward to search for the tell tale sign of the bar code, wanting to memorize it and maybe have Max try to figure out what this thing was supposed to be but with wide eyes he realized that there was no such thing.

No bar code…how could this be?

He blinked, nearly letting go of the head but no amount of wishing otherwise produced a bar code. Joshua had told them he was the only one created by Father who didn't have a bar code because he was the First. Anyone coming after him had received a code so if this thing didn't have a bar code there could only be two explanations for it: either Josh had been lying and frankly the mutt might be many things but a liar he wasn't or the creature wasn't a product of Manticore’s labs. But that couldn't be right...because if this were true then that would open the door to a lot of fucked up possibilities and frankly Alec didn't think he had the brain power necessary to comprehend such a thing.

The creatures reared back, causing Alec to loose his grip and before he could regain his equilibrium he was flung off it, landing face first in the dirt, head once again connecting with some lone rock which seemed to have been waiting just for him.

A gun shot ran out through the night, followed by more shouting but the world once again seemed to dim around and man, wasn't he setting a new record for passing out twice in one night!

“Don't you die on me, son,” a gruff voice said so close, causing his hackles to rise and his defensive moves to kick in. “I'm here to help you, stay still,” the voice was trying to be soothing but Alec wasn't falling for it. No one had ever tried to help him without wanting something in return and that included Max and all his new found so called friend.

They always wanted something but what had him shivering was that he had no clue what this man wanted.

Hands patted him down, expertly looking for his injuries and he filed this away for future use because whoever this guy was, he clearly knew how to deal with injuries and he didn't seem to be frazzled at all by having shot a werewolf.

What was it about these woods that brought out all the crazies? Something in the water maybe?

He rolled onto his back, arm outstretched over his face, trying to regulate his breathing, hoping he could stall falling unconscious long enough to get away.

“Dean?” the man asked him breathless, an awe in his voice which was totally out of place. Alec allowed his hand to fall away, forcing his eyes open long enough to stare up into the weathered face, noting the worn clothes and the funny ball cap on his head. The man looked harmless enough but there was a steely glint to his eyes and one flick of his own eyes told Alec that the gun wasn't far away.

No, for all his harmless looks this man was no fool and would shoot him if he gave him any provocation at all. He might not like having to play at being harmless but Alec knew how to stay alive and right now acting the part of confused guy in need of help might get him away form this place and its cursed nightmarish creatures. Tomorrow was another day he could rise to fight and get some answers.

“Name's Alec,” he correct the man, “Is the thing dead?” he asked, voice weak and barely loud enough to be heard but it got him a tense nod.

“Yes, you distracted it long enough for me to get in a clear shot. What are you doing in the woods at this time of night?” the man asked and even if Alec had wanted he couldn't answer any more.

“Damn it, don't pass out on me. You're too heavy for me to lug around on my own...”

He felt strong arms lifting him up, forcing him to stand on his own two feet and even though the world swayed and moved around him with darkness closing in around the edges, Alec stayed conscious long enough to make it to the guy's car.

The moment he was in the passenger seat though he could no longer hold on, allowing darkness to claim him twice in one night even though he knew better than to show any sign of weakness around strangers. Sometimes apparently it couldn't be helped.

Just before he was out like a light though he heard the stranger practically shouting into what looked like a phone, “Damn you Sam, why don’t you ever pick up?” and after a pause, “Call me as soon as you can. I’ve found something you got to see.”


	4. Chapter 4

Images shifted, blurring in front of his eyes but he couldn’t be sure he was actually awake or if his dreams were disjointed, making his head spin.

“Drink this, son…”

He spluttered, refusing to oblige at first because he didn’t know this stranger and even though he had saved his life, he wasn’t sure if he should accept anything given to him. Still, he was tried, his head ached and for once, all his senses weren’t firing like they should so when the bottle of water was placed against his lips a second time, he obediently swallowed.

Water, nothing but water and relieve settled in his bones, allowing his tired mind to drift further.

Even the sharp prick of something making a small incision on his arm didn’t disturb him and when all was said and done, he fell asleep once more.

A sneeze woke him up, shaking his body and because he had been asleep when the urge had hit him, he was now wide awake, looking around the room with startled, wide eyes.

How had he gotten from the woods to this bedroom?

He frowned, remembering barely getting into the stranger’s car and then, well then there wasn’t much else to be had.

His head was clear now though, no longer foggy and the dull ache in his skull had already faded enough to be nothing but an annoying memory.

He shifted, moving his legs sideways so he could get up when a sharp pain in his right leg stopped him in his tracks.

“What the…?” he mumbled, looking down, noticing for the first time his state of undress.

Where had his clothes gone?

He wasn’t totally naked, he still had his underwear on but his jeans were gone and so were his boots.

His new, shiny knife! Where was it? He sat up straighter, eyes roaming the room. The small blade was gone and he needed to find it because he had bled for it, making the blade clearly his! He wasn’t going to leave it behind even though looking at the thing still slightly creeped him out.

The room he was in was neat but there was no point in denying the signs of aging all around the small space. A double bed graced the centre of the room with a small drawer by the wall and a few ragged curtains were on the wall, trying to block out the light. The floor was wooden, the paint on the walls slightly chipped but the floor was clean. Maybe a bit dusty in places but over all, this bedroom must’ve been the cleanest place Alec had ever slept in when he was confined to a sterile lab.

He frowned; of course there were places out there which were a lot more tidy than where he lived or where Max had lived before they had all gone to Terminal City but this man clearly didn’t have enough money for the appliances anyone would expect so how come this old place was this clean?

He rubbed his forehead; one question just piled up after another and he wasn’t sure if his slow headache was due to the questions popping up in his head like crazy squirrels or due to a concussion.

He might heal faster than humans but having some advantages didn’t mean he couldn’t get hurt. He just didn’t need as much time to get better than an ordinary would.

And he got the distinct impression that some laws he was used to living by had changed without anyone telling him!

There was a creak on the floorboards outside and his eyes were already trained towards the door when the door opened and the older man he remembered strolled into the room, carrying a paper bag and bringing a mouth watering smell with him.

“Ah,” the man said, raising his hand to scratch his forehead, moving his ball cap slightly before rubbing his nose. He walked up towards Alec who tensed barely, readying himself for a fight – just in case.

Instead of an attack though the nice smelling paper bag was placed onto the bed, almost like an offering of sorts and then the man took a few steps back, settling down by leaning against the wall. It didn’t escape Alec’s notice though that despite the man’s casual appearance, he was still between him and the door and should he decide to make a run for it, he man clearly would be able to intercept him. And just because he didn’t have a weapon trained on him, didn’t mean he didn’t see the tell tale bulge at the man’s side, indicating a stored gun.

This man was no fool and even though it was annoying at the moment, Alec had to admire the man.

No, the man was dangerous despite his easy going appearance.

He slowly opened the bag, his sense being assaulted by more delicious smells and his mouth was already watering when he pulled out a bun wrapped in paper.

“I got you a cheeseburger, figuring you might be hungry. And there’s pie in there for you too.” After a slight pause the man added, sounding slightly insecure, “You do like pie, right?”

Alec got the impression him liking pie had some significance which escaped him at the moment but he had bigger issues to worry about than pie.

“Sure,” Alec confirmed, he liked nearly anything which wasn’t dirt or grass. He clearly recalled having tried grass at least once in his life and he wouldn’t recommend the taste to anyone. He wasn’t picky about his food; it was what fuelled his body after all but he had to admit that there was something said for the burger laid out before him.

He took a big bite, more tastes exploding all over his mouth and if he groaned just a little bit then no one would ever have to know. Little food orgasm, right there.

The man chuckled, “I knew you’d like that.”

Alec shrugged, unsure if he should respond.

“What’s your name?” he chewed and yes, speaking while eating wasn’t polite, he had learned etiquette after all but he was no longer bound by it and personally he had always thought it being slightly useless.

“Bobby Singer.”

Alec nodded, filing the name away.

“And that thing last night was…?” Alec prompted because without a bar code he doubted it had been any of his fellow transgenics who escaped from Manticore but if it hadn’t been engineered then where had it come from? And more importantly where there more things like that out there? Should he be worried?

“A werewolf hybrid of sorts,” the older man explained and Alec couldn’t help himself, his right eye brow rose, not quite sure if he believed in werewolves yet.

“I know it’s hard to take in but there’s a lot more out there going bump in the night than is on the 6 o’clock news.”

Alec blinked; he knew of course there was more out there than most humans believed in but somehow he got the impression the man wasn’t talking about the big reveal about Manticore, its projects and his escaped new family hiding in Termial City. This man wasn’t talking about the X5s or any other human-look alike series, no, he was talking about something much older, something maybe that White and his goons be familiar with.

And didn’t that notion send a chill down his spine!

White was bad news, especially since the guy had taken a clear interest in Alec after having moved on from practically stalking Max. He had no clue what had prompted the switch and he had been more than just a little bit annoyed when Max had actually been happy about no longer being the focus.

Sure, he couldn’t fault her but where did that leave him?

And why could he never catch a break? Every time he thought something good had come his way, every time he thought he could just let his hair down, relax for a bit, enjoy life, something had to come along and muck every thing up.

Well, this whole thing might be new but Alec didn’t need to be highly intelligent to know that whatever was going on, he was going to be right in the middle of it.

He was simply lucky in an unlucky sort of way.

It was his curse.

So if Bobby wasn’t talking about the big reveal, about the transgenics hiding in Terminal City then what exactly was he talking about?

“We had a full moon last night,” Bobby continued, “and normally werewolves would change completely into wolf form but this thing was a hybrid of sorts, only changing partially and it was even more dangerous because it retained some of its human intelligence. I’ve been hunting it for a month now and last night for a moment there I thought it would get the drop on me. Thanks for saving my life, son.”

Alec shrugged, unsure what to do with being thanked. It was a novel experience. Usually he only got yelled at.

“I was in the neighbourhood,” he said casually, taking another bite of his burger, finishing it off with two more bites.

He eyed the plastic box curiously, gently opening it and only barely resisting the urge to sniff its contents. Maybe spending so much time with Joshua was rubbing off on him he thought with a smile. He missed the mutt, even though he would never say it out loud. He was good company, kept things simple and didn’t sugar code anything. Alec appreciated that in a friend.

“I’d like you to stay.” The man said out of nowhere, causing Alec to look up, ignoring the pie for now.

“I’ve got places to be,” he declined but the man had a stubborn look on his face, a clear indication he wasn’t going to let him go so easily.

“I won’t keep you by force,” Bobby said but there was tick around his eyes which told Alec not to quite believe what he was being told. Well, the old man might be more dangerous than he looked but Alec was still stronger and quicker than a mere human so there was no chance in hell this man would be able to subdue him.

“Here,” he produced a wallet, taking a wrinkled looking photo out of it. Bobby then crossed the distance between them and something must’ve shown on Alec’s face because the man didn’t come any closer, throwing the picture onto the bed instead.

Alec leaned forward, picking it up.

His eyes widened when he stared at the three men. One was really tall with a mop of dark hair and a goofy looking smile on his face. The man in the middle was a slightly younger version of the man in the room with him and to the right, with an almost equally goofy look on his face was…was…well, the man might be older, by at least ten years but there was no point in denying facts, his own face was staring right back at him.

“Who…?” he whispered, eyes trained on the man, almost too afraid to look away. “How?”

“Dean, his name was Dean and that,” the man had come closer, pointing now at the tall man, “That’s Sam, his brother.”

Present tense, so this Sam must still be alive.

“How come he looks like me?” Alec asked, still staring at the man’s face. He couldn’t be one of his fellow transgenics because he was too old for that. The X5 series were all of the same age and there was no one in the program who was as old as this man was.

Joshua was the oldest but only because he had been first.

Could this be his donor?

He frowned, thinking over what Max had told him.

“Apparently I look exactly like Lydercker’s dead wife,” Max side, eyes staring at him, “Which means that they didn’t just impregnate random women. They chose our genetic make up far more carefully than we thought.”

When Max had told him her secrete he hadn’t known what to think about it. He had never known the woman who had given birth to him and he had always figured that the sperm donor had been someone random, chosen for a few characteristics before they had tinkered with it all, adding other traits to his cocktail.

X5 after all contained cat DNA which only in females also meant that they experienced heat. Thankfully by being male he had been spared that debacle.

He swallowed, shaking his blond head before focusing on the picture before him again.

This man might be his father of sorts because nature wasn’t this random. No two people looked this much alike without being somehow related but he wasn’t going to share what he knew with Bobby because he had no idea how this man was going to react to having a transgenic in his motel room.

But the bigger picture here was that if he shared DNA with this Dean then this meant that he was, distantly probably, but still, related to his brother.

His eyes went wide. He might have family out there and that was so huge! He nearly started hyperventilating because he had never thought he would ever have a family, someone actually related to him, even if only distantly and now he might!

“I don’t know,” Bobby answered his question and when the older man held out his hand, Alec carefully returned the picture.

“But I’ve called Sam and I think you should stick around until we figure this out.”

“Why?”

“What do you mean why?” now it was Bobby’s turn to look slightly puzzled, unable to hide the incredulity out of his voice.

“What do you care?” Alec asked with a little bit of attitude, knowing this always got a kneejerk reaction. And he was right this time too.

“Dean was like a son to me,” the man spat out, “He died way too young and while his death…well, let’s just say it was for a good cause, his death fucked Sam over good. You looking like him is…”

“Strange?” Alec helpfully supplied which got him an eye roll from the other man.

Alec rubbed his chin but his mind was already made up. He would stay; Max could wait a little bit longer for the new trade routes because this mystery was worth investigating.

A phone rang somewhere in the distance and Bobby excused himself.

“I’ve got to take this, don’t go anywhere.” the friendly tone of voice was clearly a ruse of sorts because when the man stepped outside to take, the door was locked behind him.

Alec rolled his eyes; he should feel insulted now. As if one locked door would actually keep him in!

He got up, ignoring the twinges of pain from his right leg, hobbling towards the locked door, kneeling on the dirty floor. He was almost completely naked except for his underwear but shy had never been a word associated with him so apart from noting some slight discomfort on walking around on bare feet, Alec gave it no further thought.

Hm…he licked his lips, tongue peaking out. This lock was old, by any standard and he could yank the door off his hinges but he might still need the man’s good will so maybe he shouldn’t demolish the man’s home just yet.

The window then.

The crossed the room, removing the curtains and opening the window. He almost expected bars to keep him in but instead weird markings were drawn all over the window and after looking more closely, he found even some salt strewn across the window sill.

How odd.

Cleary the man hadn’t consider him escaping through the window an option but Alec didn’t care. He didn’t much like being locked in and while he had already decided he was going to stay to see where this was going, there was never any excuse for not gathering as much intel as he could.

So out the window he went, ignoring the freezing wind and the cold rain

He stopped, head tilted skywards.

The clouds hung deep, giving him the urge to reach out and touch them but that wasn’t what caught his attention.

It was the low flying air plane.

Air plane?

This couldn’t be because fuel was rare and while some people had access to better supplies than others, flying commercial hadn’t been around since the pulse. And with his keen eye sight, there was no point in denying that what had just crossed over his head, had been a commercial plane about to land somewhere nearby.

He shook his head some more. This couldn’t be. Clearly he must be hallucinating.

He slowly made his way around the house, hobbling a little bit because the pebbles on the ground weren’t making anything easy for him.

A car was parked outside what he thought was the main entrance and he could see a lot more cars in the background. A salvage yard of sorts.

He walked towards the car, peaking in through the window, grabbing the paper lying on the backseat.

His eyes scanned the paper, noting how a few articles were marked while some pages were torn out but what clearly held his attention was the date noted at the top.

14 May 2011

What?

His lips parted in a silent scream while his eyes nearly bulged out. He poked at the date as if the print would magically change if he rubbed his thumb over it and of course it never did.

Still, one date on a newspaper didn’t proof anything so he quickly through it back into the backseat as if his fingers would get burnt by simply holding on to it.

He needed more data before he could allow himself some minor panic even though he couldn’t quite ignore the dread already spreading through his body, taking up residence at the bottom of his gut, making him swallow as if something nasty had gone down his throat.

The front door was open so he quickly entered the house again, eyes roaming over the many books strewn all over the place followed by noting the many empty bottles. His eyes finally settled on what looked like a TV, flicking it on and then there was almost no way to deny that he wasn’t in Kansas any more.

The programs on TV were unlike any he had ever come across but even though the panic was rising steadily inside him, like a well about to overflow, he only started to slightly hyperventilate when he found a news channel, reporting on some event in New York City, providing helpful pictures which cheering people of a place he knew no longer existed.

He swallowed hard, green eyes huge but he couldn’t deny what his own eyes were seeing.

His hand was shaking when he changed channel once more, hoping for a rational explanation to magically present itself but nothing changed and in the end, despite time travel clearly being impossible, he had to face facts.

He couldn’t deny reality regardless of how implausible it was.

His legs didn’t feel quite steady any more and even though he would never admit to feeling nauseous or close to fainting, he did seek out the safety of a nearby sofa, more falling down than actual sitting.

He leaned forward, putting his head between his legs, trying to steady his breathing. No training could’ve possibly prepared himself for finding himself in back in time before the Pulse.

His breathing stopped for a moment before with a gasp, his head reared back.

2011!

The Pulse had happened in 2009! But in this world the fateful event that destroyed his home hadn’t happened at all! There was no indication of the chaos anyone would come to expect of a world going through an apocalypse of sorts so this just got even more complicated!

Not only had he gone back in time, he had also gone back in time to a place which shouldn’t exist!

His vision swam and his breathing was more than just a little bit laboured and he was worried he might pass out for good.

Clearly he was blessed, he thought. His famous luck for always getting into trouble had finally managed to royally screw him over and not even his fast lip and quick thinking was going to get him out of this one!

He had to accept the facts as they were; denying them wasn’t going to do him any good regardless of how implausible everything was. After all, his very existence shouldn’t have been possible so maybe he needed to readjust his world view altogether.

The world he found himself in now was new; the pulse hadn’t happened and maybe this was a good thing!

But if the apocalypse, if the Pulse of 2009 hadn’t happened, what had changed history? It must have been something monumental!

His eyes widened again…if the pulse didn’t happen, did his own time still exist?

What about his friends? His only family? As screwed up as they all were they were the only family he had ever had!

Was his whole world gone?

He shook his head, brushing some errand blond strands out of his face.

His whole body twitched, finger scraping over the sofa cushions while his toes wiggled into the shabby carpet below his feet.

His world couldn’t be gone because he was still here but if the pulse never happened, what did that mean?

He rubbed his forehead, feeling a new headache coming on. Maybe him coming back had changed the future?

No, he shook his head; he hadn’t averted the pulse, because he was two years too late for that. So whatever had happened to alter the future he knew had already taken place and he got nothing to do with it.

Still, had it got something to do with those not quite human men who had attacked him carrying short blades? Who didn’t only bleed but also bled white light?

Max always insisted he got into trouble because he was looking for it but he knew better. Trouble always found him and if Max ever learned of this, she would probably lock him up somewhere and throw away the key!

He swallowed hard once more, thoughts racing a mile a minute. He had to stay. These people might have answers and if they didn’t, they probably would be able to point him in the right direction.

But he wasn’t going to tell them about time travel, pointy swords and white light bleeding people because enough was enough.

He had no safety net here, no friends to come to his rescue, he needed to play this carefully, play things close to the chest and see about learning how to navigate a pre pulse world.

He knew next to nothing about it. Logan might have known but Logan was lost to him and he would have to find his own way.

Well, his spine straightened up and his eyes shone with determination. This wasn’t going to be the first time he would be on his own and frankly he might have gotten a bit too used to having Max always at his back, bailing him out at the last possible moment.

He was an X5, an elite soldier, trained to blend in and kill, surely he would be able to navigate people he might (or might not) be related to.

“Who’re you?” a male’s voice from behind had Alec’s head snapping up, body twisting so he could turn around, looking at the newcomer. His face pinched in annoyance because no one should’ve been able to sneak up on him but clearly he wasn’t firing on all cylinders and he needed to get his footing back soon otherwise he would be a sitting duck! Just waiting for anyone to take a shot at him and he couldn’t have that!

When their eyes locked, the stranger’s face went through a myriad of emotions, starting from curiosity coupled with alertness to outright confusion, followed by a longing so deep that Alec thought any moment now he was going to get swallowed whole.

“Who are you?” the longing suddenly twisted to outrage, the tall stranger moving quicker than Alec would’ve thought anyone of his size would be able to but even in his slightly confused state, Alec was still quicker, managing to duck out of the man’s grasp.

The man’s green eyes widened, apparently he was only just now realizing how partially naked Alec was and the green eyes were freely roaming over his body, taking in every inch of him before settling once more on his face.

“Who are you?” the man whispered again, anguish so strong Alec could almost taste it.

“There you are!” Bobby shouted, entering the room, “How’d you get out of the room?”

Alec shrugged, “Climbed out the window, I’m not much for locked doors.” And this was actually the truth. He had spent so much time of his life being locked up, unable to come and go as he pleased that now he was practically allergic to being confined.

“You locked him in?” the stranger asked, an eye brow raised but Alec noted that even though the tall man had slightly turned, his body was still angled towards him, ready to attempt to grab him once more should the need arise.

What was it with these people and their constant need to make sure he didn’t leave?

He shook his blond head, taking a deep breath and allowing his eyes to fall shut for a few seconds. These people might not be his family, he might not be able to completely trust them but had ever trusted anyone completely in his life? The answer was a clear, resounding no and one thing he knew for sure: these people weren’t his enemies. He needed to cut them some slack, especially the tall one because this clearly was Sam. The man from the picture whose brother had died to soon and while for him wearing a stranger’s face was puzzling and maybe a tad bit exciting, it must be downright cruel for Sam to be forced to look at him.

“Clearly I was right to lock him in because he tried to get away anyway,” Bobby defended his actions.

“Dean never liked being locked up.”

“This isn’t Dean.”

“Did you do…?” Sam never finished the sentence but Alec could see Bobby rolling his eyes.

“Yes,” the older man answered, “I did all the tests. He’s human.”

“Then how…?” Sam was back to looking at him, desperation in his eyes and Alec couldn’t help it, he shifted his feet, feeling unsettled by the emotion directed towards him.

“We’re going to find out, Sam, we’re going to find out,” Bobby said, crossing the distance between them, placing a hand onto Sam shoulders, squeezing slightly.

Clearly even though those two weren’t related, they shared a bond akin to family and no, the cramping feeling in his stomach had nothing to do with an ulcer or with an imaginary male period and it was most certainly not jealousy because no one in his entire life, not even Max, had ever tried to comfort him like that.


	5. Chapter 5

Sam

 

“Dean?” Sam whispered, his own green eyes parted so wide it must actually be painful.

 

The Dean-look-alike looked at him equally startled, his plush lips slightly parted but the world only seemed to end and start again with a sharp jolt for Sam.

 

He took a few steps towards him, eyes trained on the man, everything else falling away around him. A bomb could’ve gone off right beside him and he wouldn’t even have noticed.

 

When the call from Bobby had come through he had ignored it, not up for hearing his adopted father’s voice. John might have given birth to him, raised him but the only father-like figure he and Dean had ever had were Bobby and while he would never say anything to Bobby out loud (the man would too uncomfortable to hear this, much like Dean who had never been able to tolerate so called chick-flick moments either) he very much thought of Bobby as a father.

 

The man was always there for him, always picking up after him and while they did exchanged heated words at time, after all they had been through together, after all they had lost, Sam knew without a shred of doubt that regardless of what happened, Bobby would always come through for him. And if he didn’t, then the man would be dead.

 

And the same was true for him and if this wasn’t what family was supposed to be like then Sam didn’t know what else could come close.

 

Ignoring Bobby had never felt good but every time he heard his voice, every time he stopped by for a chat or a good meal, he was reminded of all the times Dean had been here right with him and honestly it had gotten to the stage where it had been too painful for him to go anywhere near Bobby.

 

Every few months though Bobby always hounded him into visiting for a few days and Sam always went willingly. So when Bobby had called he had felt ready to talk to him yet and the rule was that if Sam didn’t pick up, Bobby would leave the hunting instructions on his voice mail. So Sam had gotten the surprise of his life when he had listened to his voice mail and even though Bobby had been vague over the phone, the urgency for him to come here couldn’t be denied.

 

Staring at the young man Sam couldn’t believe what he was seeing but even after rubbing them, the image didn’t change.

 

“You’re not Dean,” Sam whispered, “You can’t be.” He repeated this inside his head over and over again and even after Bobby had joined them and their brief exchange of words, Sam still didn’t feel any more confident in what his eyes were telling him.

 

He swallowed hard, heat colouring his cheeks. Dean had always been a handsome man and sharing so many close spaces over the years hadn’t really left much to imagination but watching this young man standing so proud before him clad only in his underwear had Sam’s cock twitching and his stomach rolling with desire.

 

He shook his head; dark locks falling over his head and he quickly raised a hand to brush them out of his face. He was simply missing Dean and he hadn’t shared a bed with someone in a few months co his body’s reaction to seeing someone who looked so much like Dean was simply pure happiness and not something else.

 

Sam was running the risk of loosing himself in the man’s eyes again when a glass was shoved underneath his nose.

 

“What?” he asked before taking it, sniffing. Ah, Whiskey. He emptied the glass in one go, wordlessly holding it out to Bobby for a refill.

 

“There,” Bobby patted his back, “I think you might need the bottle.” Sam put the glass onto the table, taking the bottle instead, exchanging a wry look with his older friend.

 

“You might want to get dressed,” Bobby addressed the half naked man and Sam grunted in agreement, wiping his lips before placing the now nearly half empty bottle onto the table beside the sofa.

 

“I don’t have any clothes,” the blond man reasonably pointed out and even though Sam wasn’t looking at Bobby he could feel the man roll his eyes.

 

“If you haven’t bolted out of the room like a scared chicken then you would have clothes by now. Why don’t you go up, get dressed and when you come down I’ll have something to eat for you. You’re hungry, right?”

 

The man looked sheepish for a moment while a loud rumble echoed through the room.

 

Cleary, the man was hungry.

 

“I knew it,” Bobby mumbled, “Dean was never satisfied with one burger either.” And out loud, directly towards the blond man whose name Sam still had to learn, “Why don’t you bring the pie down with you?”

 

“Sure,” the blond man nodded, padding passed them, heading towards the bedroom Sam always used to share with Dean.

 

“I didn’t know where else to put him,” Bobby said apologetically but Sam waved him off.

 

“It’s alright, I don’t mind him using the room.”

 

And after a thoughtful look, “What happened to his leg and his head?”

 

“Why don’t you sit down while I fix us something more to eat?”

 

Sam nodded, following Bobby into the kitchen, taking a seat at the table.

 

“So what happened?” he prompted again.

 

Bobby’s voice mail had been clear and vague at the same time.

 

“Why don’t you never pick up, Sam?” a grumble followed and then, “This is my second message. I’ve got someone here you should meet and no, it isn’t safe to discuss this over the phone. It got to do with your idiot brother though, so I’ll expect to see you shortly.”

 

Sam knew Bobby would never leave cryptic messages, especially concerning Dean, unless something really important had happened so he had dropped everything and come right over. It had helped that he was in the area but nothing could have ever prepared him for walking into Bobby’s house, seeing a much younger version of dead brother sitting on the sofa.

 

“His name is Alec,” Bobby said while he opened the fridge, taking out some cold meats and lettuce. He sat down on the table, expertly preparing a few sandwiches for them all to eat.

 

“I was hunting a werewolf hybrid in the woods nearby,” he went on and Sam nodded because yes, Bobby had kept him informed of this hunt.

 

“The werewolf had me…”

 

And Sam couldn’t help the anguished hitch that escaped his mouth because the thought of loosing Bobby, the only family he had left was too much to bear. Bobby gave him an understanding smile before he continued, “Then out of nowhere this guy shows up, shouting at the werewolf to pick on someone of his own size.”

 

“Really?” Sam wondered, snorting. “Didn’t he realize he wasn’t fighting a man?”

 

Bobby shrugged, “I don’t know what he thought was going on but the werewolf let go of me and went after him and the guy’s tough, he stood his ground long enough for me to get my gun and to finish what I started.”

 

“He got hurt though,” Sam added and Bobby shrugged, pushing a plate towards the younger man.

 

“He was hurt before. And there’s more,” Bobby was nearly whispering now, sending a glance over his shoulder to make sure Alec wasn’t there yet, “I undressed him to patch him up and I found an angel knife stuck to his boot. It had blood on it. Fresh blood, he must’ve used it recently.”

 

“An angel knife?” Sam’s eyes were wide because nothing good ever came out of associating with angels.

 

Castiel was a friend and they had stayed in touch but the angel was so busy fighting his own war in heaven, trying to keep them all safe (his words at least) that he rarely ever popped in. But in all fairness, whenever Sam called for him, he always showed up.

 

“Yes,” Bobby confirmed.

 

And right at the moment Alec walked into the room. Sam noted how he cased the room, noticing the exits and where everything was, his stance relaxed but on alert at the same time. He frowned; this man was no ordinary man. He might not be a hunter because either Sam or Bobby would’ve heard about a hunter out there looking like the famous Dean Winchester who had saved the world but he clearly hadn’t lived under a rock, pretending the world was all roses.

 

“Food!” Alec happily exclaimed, snatching up a chair, turning it around so that the backside was upfront and casually sitting down on it, dropping a plastic contained onto the table.

 

He devoured a sandwich in under a minute and when he was done, he slowly opened up the container to attack the pie. “Do you have any goat’s milk?” he asked and Bobby had to snort, “Sure,” the older man said sarcastically, “Right next to the caviar and the sushi.”

 

“So I guess that’s a no, right?” Alec was eying them and Bobby nodded.

 

“Will normal milk do?” Sam asked, getting up and heading towards the fridge.

 

“It’s not as good but I guess it’ll do for now.”

 

Why on Earth normal milk wouldn’t do Sam didn’t understand but hey, if the guy wanted milk then Sam wasn’t going to protest. At least he was living healthy and that was something Dean had never mastered, getting way too attached to his bottle at the end of things. Not that Sam had ever blamed him, being unable to throw the first rock after all. Being a borderline alcoholic seemed to go with the territory of being a hunter and while at times Sam still tried to go for the salad and to live as healthy as he could, he now more than ever understood Dean’s tendency to go for comfort food instead.

 

After all, a hunter’s life was short and often gruesome so why deny yourself the few pleasures that were out there?

 

Still, Sam tried to walk a careful balance because he had promised his brother not to give up, to keep on going and even though more often than not he wanted nothing more than to roll over and join his brother in his grave he would keep his promise.

 

His family had a nasty habit of not letting go, of always trying to fix things and actually ending up making everything worse and regardless of how much Sam missed Dean, of how much wanted to turn Heaven and Hell up side down to get him back, he wasn’t going to risk the fate of the world. Dean had averted the apocalypse; he wasn’t going to mess with his brother’s legacy.

 

And at least the hunters out there knew of the sacrifice Dean had done, whispering his name in awe in conversations and while Sam would’ve wanted for the entire world to know that Dean Winchester hadn’t been a criminal, that he had been a hero, someone who saved the world, he knew when he was barking up the wrong tree.

 

In his dream though everyone knew the man Dean had really been and lately Sam had been thinking about writing it all down, about writing a book about their exploits, pretending that their real lives had been nothing but fiction.

 

Chuck had stopped writing because Sam had asked him to but he agreed to ask for his help if he ever decided to write about the end. And lately, Sam was more tempted than he had ever been before. Because while no one would ever believe that Dean had saved the world for real, at least if his words, his deeds got printed, a record would be out there for all time.

 

And that would at least something, right?

 

He poured the milk into a glass, handing it over to Alec who gulped it all down. Sam rolled his eyes, putting the entire carton of milk on the table because clearly more was needed.

 

“How did you end up with this knife?” Bobby asked out of the blue, employing his startle people into honesty tactic, placing the angel killing knife onto the table.

 

Alec’s eyes darted towards the blade but the man made no move to snatch it up.

 

“I was out in the woods on some personal business,” the blond man said and it didn’t escape Sam or Bobby how Alec was avoiding telling them why exactly he had been out there.

 

It didn’t really matter, Sam thought.

 

“And then out of nowhere,” Alec continued, “This due showed up, starting to chase me. Well, there was something off about him so I tried to get away from him,” a slightly frown marred his handsome face, as if the man was thinking that normally he would’ve stayed to fight but for some unknown reason he had chosen to run and he wasn’t happy with his reaction.

 

Sam knew of course that running away from angel (while totally pointless) had been the right thing to do.

 

“You did the right thing,” he said out loud, smiling reassuring at Alec, “If you had tried to fight him, you would’ve lost.”

 

“Well,” Alec shrugged, “he caught up with me in a clearing, shouting something about how I should be dead before pulling the knife on me. Then a second guy came out of nowhere. I killed one of them…”his voice trailed off, a satisfied look spreading over Alec’s face which Sam found slightly disturbing, “He bled like he should but he also bled this aerie whit light.”

 

Alec finished his pie, licking his lips for any remaining crumbs before he continued, “The second guy got the drop on me, he raised his knife to finish me off and then there was a strange sound, kind of like wings flopping and then I passed out.”

 

From the way he spat out passed out, Sam was certain about one thing: Alec didn’t like admitting to having any weakness and he wasn’t happy about having passed out.

 

He could relate to that but if Sam had learned anything over the years than it was to accept that sometimes it didn’t matter how strong you thought you were, something or someone was always going to be better.

 

“I woke up in the same clearing,” Alec continued, “I found the knife and man, that’s one wicked blade.” The man looked adoringly at the blade which was a little bit unsettling. “Anyway,” Alec continued, “I was heading towards my bike when I heard this guy screaming and then the freak show started.”

 

After a short pause, Alec waved his hand, “You know the rest.”

 

“Do you know what this knife is?” Bobby asked carefully.

 

“A short blade? Some weird cult thing?” and after a thoughtful look on Alec’s part the man added, “I’m familiar with weird cults but I don’t think this knife belongs to a cult… and who bleeds white light anyway?”

 

“Angels do…”

 

“Sure,” Alec replied dryly, “Right after they take off on fluffy wings.” The blond man rolled his eyes, “I might not be the smarted tool in the shed but even I know angels don’t exist.”

 

Bobby shared a look with Sam causing Sam to sigh, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

 

Calling Castiel was their only option now. They needed answers and surely the angel would have them, especially if angels had tried to kill Alec.

 

“You’re wrong,” Sam stated calmly, watching with barely veiled amusement as Alec’s right eye brow rose up, indicating his bafflement.

 

“There’s no such thing as angels,” Alec’s voice held conviction but Sam still detected a slight tremor so maybe the man wasn’t quite a sure as he liked to think.

 

“Bobby told you about demons?” Sam queried and when Alec shook his head, Sam sent a quizzical look to the older man.

 

“Hey!” Bobby objected, “I didn’t have time to fill him in on everything!”

 

Sam sighed.

 

“The short version?” he asked and Alec nodded, “I’d appreciate that.”

 

“Demons are real. They can possess people, take over and burn out their bodies, make them do horrible things, things they would normally not do.”

 

“That’s a very convenient cop out for people, isn’t it?” Alec said with an eye roll, “Oh I didn’t do it, I was possessed!” the theatrics in his voice clearly showed them he wasn’t believing a word of what he was hearing.

 

“How do you explain the werewolf hybrid then?” Sam changed tactics, going for the logical approach then. “Or how those two men who attacked you appeared out of nowhere, bleeding white on top of everything.”

 

Alec frowned, apparently thinking things over.

 

“I can’t really,” he said with some slight hesitation and Sam caught a whiff of something he was hiding. Now wasn’t the time though to press, they had bigger issues to worry about.

 

“Demons are real, believe me. So are werewolves and probably any other creature you heard about,” Sam continued, “and if hell is real then so is heaven and contrary to popular belief, angels aren’t nice or even all that kind.”

 

“No?”

 

“No,” Sam confirmed, “They are warriors and most of them don’t actually like humans. They’d rather see us all dead so that they can restore their perfect world so if you think demons are bad, then don’t expect an angel to swoop in an safe the day.”

 

“Huh…” was all Alec had to say but Sam could practically see the wheels turning inside the man’s head.

 

“Say I believe you,” he said slowly, “Why would angels suddenly try to kill me?”

 

“That’s a good question,” Bobby piped in, “And if anyone can answer it…”

 

“I know,” Sam interrupted, “I’m on it.”

 

He closed his eyes for a moment before he started praying out loud, “Castiel, if you can hear me, we’ve got a bit of a situation here and to quote your favourite person: get your feathery ass down here!”

 

“Really?” Bobby might sound cross but his eyes were twinkling in amusement, “Do you have to call his ass feathery? You know he is a bit touchy when it comes to his wings…”

 

“I don’t see anyone,” Alec commented and Sam had to admit it wasn’t like Castiel to keep them waiting.

 

“He must be busy,” Sam shrugged, “He’ll come when he can.”

 

“In the mean time,” Bobby continued, “there are more things we need to talk about.”

 

“Such as?” Alec queried and Sam honestly had to bite back a laugh because the young Dean look a like clearly had attitude, something Dean had always had in spades too. It had gotten a bit subdued the older he got, experiences taking away the laugh lines and causing his brother to slowly loose his sparkle so it was quite refreshing to once again see the fighting spirit in Alec’s eyes.

 

Still, he would do good to remember how annoying Dean got whenever he tried to be difficult in the past.

 

“You can’t be Dean’s son,” Bobby seemed to have thought about it because there was no hesitation in his voice.

 

“How do you figure?” Sam asked. It was a legitimate question because Dean had never been a monk, so having a child out there no one knew about was a distinct possibility. After all, for a short while they had even thought Ben might be Dean’s son but Lisa had never confirmed or denied and in the end, Dean had walked away for their own safety.

 

“How old are you?” Bobby didn’t answer Sam’s question, instead focusing on Alec who shrugged, answering, “20 or 21?”

 

“You don’t know?” Sam’s voice rose slightly because how could someone not know how old he was?

 

Alec rolled his eyes, “I don’t keep track of things and it wasn’t as if I ever saw a birth certificate…so no, I don’t know my exact birth date but since Max is about that age, I always figured it applied to me too.”

 

“Max?”

 

“My sister…well,” Alec hedged, clearly not comfortable talking about this, “Not biologically but she like family to me.”

 

“So you’re about 21 years old,” Bobby picked up his previous train of thought, following it all the way to the end, “And Dean was how old when he died?”

 

This question was posed to Sam who took a deep breath, finally seeing where this was going. “Dean would have to have been awfully young to have had a child.”

 

“Yes,” Bobby confirmed, “Dean was always a ladie’s man and your father wasn’t the best role model but even I doubt he would’ve been out there, sleeping with women in his early teens.”

 

“He lost his virginity at 15,” Sam offered, causing both men to look at him with slight horror in their eyes.

 

“Not that I was there personally,” Sam quickly added, looking mortified at the thought even though something warm and soft was slowly uncurling in the pit of his stomach, “But he wouldn’t shut up about it, so it was kind of hard to miss.”

 

“So you can’t be his son,” Bobby confirmed this one more out loud, “the time line simply doesn’t add you and unless you were speed grown in some lab, we can put this behind us.”

 

“But Dad wasn’t above having more children. I mean, there was Adam…” Sam offered but Bobby shook his head, a slight pinched look on his face, “There might be more children out there, John wasn’t clearly forthcoming in letting anyone know…”

 

“If he even knew…” Sam added and both men shared a look.

 

“Anyway, I find it doubtful that John would have yet another son looking quite so much like his first born.”

 

“And there are differences,” Sam’s eyes moved from Bobby to Alec, cataloguing every difference before voicing them out loud. “You’re eyes are greener. They remind me of a cat actually,” and for some reason Alec found that hilarious but when Sam tilted his head, asking for an explanation without so many words, Alec simply shut up, motioning for him to keep going.

 

And with a sigh, Sam did, “Dean’s hair was also darker than yours. He was always borderline blond but the older he got the darker his hair got and you’re still very much in the blond category.”

 

Alec looked slightly miffed at that but Sam ignored the adorable look on the man’s face too in favour of continuing, “And your built is just a little bit slighter. Not that Dean was overly buff, far from it but if I recall correctly his shoulders were a bit wider and you’re a bit more slender than he ever was.”

 

“You’re right,” Bobby piped in, “Now that you’ve said that out loud I see the same differences. Still, the resemblance is remarkable. There is no point in denying that Dean is related to you in some way.”

 

Sam got an idea; it was a crazy idea but compared to some of the things he had seen, it wasn’t actually all that far out there.

 

“Dean’s been in an out of hospitals all his life,” he slowly said, the idea taking more and more form the longer the toyed with it, “And we know genetic research is done everywhere. Who is to say that in one of his stays they didn’t just take some DNA?”

 

“For what purposes?”

 

Sam shrugged, “I don’t know but what else could explain why Alec is almost a clone but not quite? Clearly Dean’s DNA was involved, nothing else makes sense and since we’ve already ruled out any normal options, that’s the only one that’s left, right?”

 

“I think Sam’s right,” Alec said, eyes guarded and his expression as closed off Sam had ever seen. He got the distinct impression Alec knew more about where he had come from that he was sharing but Sam wasn’t about to accuse the young man of keeping things from them because he wanted him to stay.

 

“I bounced from one family to the other,” Alec slowly explained, “I’ve never seen my birth certificate. All I know is my name but I’ve got no clue who my parents were.”

 

“Well, government experiment it is then,” Bobby said with a sigh, “Would be just like Dean to cause trouble even from the grave. The boy always had a knack for it.”

 

Sam felt the urge to defend his dead brother but even he couldn’t argue with facts.

 

“Hunters will start asking questions,” Sam pointed out, “And you know how they are about anything weird. They hold Dean in high regard and if they find out that Alec might have gotten hatched…”

 

“Hey!” Alec obviously objected even though Sam had only said this in jest. The pained look on the man’s face though told him never to use Alec’s birth in a joke again. The mystery deepened…

 

“You’re right,” Bobby admitted, “We’re going to have to keep it simple. You’re Dean’s son, end of story.”

 

“But…” Alec objected before Sam could.

 

“You look young enough,” Bobby continued, “If asked, you can say your 18 or maybe 19 if you want to push it and Sam,” Bobby looked at him now, “It won’t be hard to believe that Dean got an early start. It is unlikely for a boy of such a young age to have a child but it is possible. If women can have children at 12 years of age, surely Dean can sire a son.”

 

“I don’t know,” Sam hedged but since he didn’t really see any other option he relented in the end, “Alright, it is the easiest explanation after all.”

 

“So I’m the product of a one night stand, your brother’s first time with a woman?”

 

“Well, probably another child which would explain why you never met your parents. Dean didn’t know about it because everyone knows that John never stayed in a place long enough to put down any roots and your mother obviously was a child herself so they simply gave you away.”

 

“Oh.”

 

“That could work,” Sam had to admit. It sounded plausible enough and vague at the same time to stand up to some basic queries.

 

“Welcome to the family, son,” Bobby said and even though Alec looked less than sure, a small smile crossed his handsome face, “Thanks.”


	6. Chapter 6

Alec

 

Alec took the crazy explanation in stride. After all hearing that monsters existed wasn’t all that much a stretch for him because where he came from he was one of them.

 

Well, monsters, freaks…names usually used to describe him and his own no longer held much negative meaning for him.

 

But he got the distinct impression that when Bobby spoke of monsters lurking in the dark he wasn’t talking about genetic differences or maybe a cross between human and lizard, he was literally talking about things out to harm innocent and unsuspecting people, something else entirely.

 

His own experiences though prohibited him from believing that what Bobby called monsters were really all evil. Sure, the werewolf hybrid he had encountered had to be put down because he would’ve endangered ordinaries and he would’ve caused people to start hunting for things they should better leave alone.

 

But he knew first handed that not everything that looked like a monster was actually one. The kindest of hearts could be hiding underneath an ugly face and he refused to put all monsters into one pot, closing the lid on them forever.

 

Still, he would do well to keep in mind that these monsters weren’t like his brothers and sisters so maybe for a while he should shoot first and ask questions later.

 

Still, angels? Demons? This he had a hard time wrapping his head around it but Sam was right, if he was willing to admit that things went bump in the night which had nothing to do with Manticore then considering demons and angels wasn’t that much of a stretch either.

 

And he had seen two men fighting with more speed than should’ve been possible, appearing and disappearing and hadn’t he heard the flopping of wings at least twice?

 

He regretted now not having the chance to inspect the man, or angel, closer, the one he had killed because if the man had indeed been an angel, surely there would’ve been signs.

 

Both Bobby and Sam were all too rational about these things to be raving lunatics so Alec no longer even kept this as an option in the back of his mind.

 

No, sometimes the most outrageous of explanations was actually the right one and maybe for once he should take a few things on faith. After all, until a day ago he would’ve given his right arm away, swearing up and down that time travel wasn’t possible and yet here he was! In 2011 where the Pulse had never happened!

 

Sam had gotten awfully close at the truth when he had accused Alec of having gotten hatched and the longer he thought about the more sure he was that this was actually how it had happened.

 

They might have the time line wrong but at some stage in his life, this Dean Winchester had gotten admitted into a hospital where there had been a Manticore presence and they must’ve seen something in him because they sure as hell took his DND and impregnated a woman with the man’s sperm.

 

It would explain the resemblance between them and obviously when they had mixed his cocktail they had added other stuff too, like cat DNA. Max might be an almost perfect copy of Lydecker’s dead wife but there was no reason why he had to look exactly like Dean.

 

The resemblance was there, almost perfectly but thankfully they weren’t a perfect match, otherwise they would have a hard time trying to sell anyone the story that Dean was his father.

 

And it was a good story; close enough to the truth for him to fully believe it and making it easy to sell too. All the best lies were usually the ones rooted in truth.

 

He most certainly though wasn’t going to bring up his own oddities until he could be sure not to be shot at sight. After all, those people killed anything that was different and while he had to admit they might have a point in killing dangerous things going bump in the night, he wasn’t so sure if they were going to make the distinction if he told them he was part cat and definitely not fully human.

 

No, better to keep this cat in the bag for now – so to speak.

 

“Any questions?” the older man asked and Alec shook his head.

 

“You sure?” the man prompted again, obviously not buying how easily Alec had accepted everything so he decided to offer up something to make them look less suspicious.

 

“No,” Alec easily said, “I’m good. One thing though…” Alec’s voice trailed off for a moment, “Could I have my knife back?”

 

Bobby looked ready to object but Sam was faster, saying, “Of course. Bobby?”

 

“Sure,” The man sounded anything but sure but apparently he would respect Sam’s wishes on this. “I’ll get it for you.”

 

He got up, leaving the room only to return moment’s later with the knife, placing it on the table before them so Sam could get a good look at it.

 

“It’s genuine alright,” Sam confirmed, placing it once again on the table but still out of Alec’s reach. Were they trying to piss him off or did it just come naturally to them?

 

“Maybe you should try calling Cas again,” Bobby said with emphasis and Sam nodded.

 

“You’re right,” he said before lifting his eyes skyward. “Cas, this is important. Can you please drag your feathery ass down here?”

 

Alec couldn’t suppress a chuckle.

 

Feathery ass.

 

He didn’t know what to expect but he couldn’t deny his curiosity. What would Castiel be like? A real angel?

 

When Sam abandoned asking politely, shouting for Castiel, Alec rolled his eyes.

 

There people were weird, he decided. He’d always thought he and his fellow transgenics were strange but maybe being weird was actually a part of their genetic make up. After all, if he was related to these people than maybe insanity did run in the family.

 

He blanched, chewing on his lower lip. What about Ben?

 

He had always thought that the being outside at such a young age had driven his twin nuts, that he hadn’t been able to adjust to his new life but what if it hadn’t been some outside factor driving him over the edge, what if it had been all him? Something inside him driving him around the bend?

 

Would the same thing happen to him?

 

He hoped he was wrong about that but with so many things only time would tell.

 

There was a flutter of what could only be described as wings causing a shiver of dread to run down his spine. He had heard that sound before, right before he had gotten attacked, before the first man had appeared, starting to chase him like a hunter would with his prey.

 

There was a polite knock on the door frame and with a huge smile on his face, Sam got off the chair, walking towards the newcomer and supposed angel.

 

Alec had always been able to process information quicker than most and right now, his senses were running on over drive.

 

The man was tall, with dark hair and piercing blue eyes wearing a trench coat even though it was far too warm for it.

 

He walked with confidence, a self assurance that only came with power and when those cool blue eyes settled on him, Alec knew without a shred of doubt that this man was like the ones who had attacked him.

 

The tiny hairs at the back of his neck stood up to attention and he was moving long before he was aware of it.

 

He slid across the table in one fluid, graceful move, too fast for the human eye to pick up on, grabbing the knife off the surface. He was on Castiel only moment later, pushing him back into the wall, knife pressed closely against his throat.

 

“You here to kill me too?” he asked, green eyes narrowed, every inch the predator he really was.

 

“I mean you no harm,” Castiel casually replied, as if he wasn’t in any danger at all.

 

“Let him go,” Sam’s voice rang through the air and where someone else might have been tempted to look back towards the man, Alec held his gaze firmly fixed on his current prey.

 

The air moved behind him and he quickly exchanged the knife for a solid grip around the man’s throat, freeing up his hand, holding his knife away from his body, ready for use should anyone dare to attack him.

 

Instead Sam walked towards them with open arms, stepping into his field of view without hesitation, saying, “Castiel is a friend, put down the knife.”

 

“He’s like those guys who attacked me,” Alec pointed out, voice not wavering even though on the inside he was preparing himself for anything.

 

“Alec,” Castiel’s voice was odd, deep with a strange intonation but otherwise quite soothing, “I mean you no harm.”

 

The weird thing was that Alec actually believed the guy and against every instinct he took a step back, lowering the knife but not putting it away.

 

The message was clear; he was ready to hear them out but also not taking any chances.

 

Reason slowly reasserted itself, a few more facts slotting into place. How he had failed to make the connection was beyond him. Maybe he was more rattled than he had thought. He had already been told that he had been attacked by angel because what he was holding was an angel killing knife. He had been aware of this!

 

And Sam had made no secrete about calling Castiel, his friend and fellow angel and yet, until the man (or angel) had shown up, he hadn’t connected the dots, he hadn’t fully realized that the men who had attacked him, nearly succeeding in killing him would belong to the same species (or creature or angel or whatever…) as Sam’s friend.

 

Alec shook his head slightly, hoping to clear away a few cobwebs. He couldn’t afford to be slow on the uptake. He needed to be smart; now more than ever and he knew he his IQ was off the charts. Still, he might be a bit rusty and this was a trying situation, even for someone like him!

 

Castiel’s inquisitive gaze looked him up and down, brining Alec back into the now, “You’re not Dean Winchester,” he stated and Alec rolled his eyes because duhu they had already established that.

 

Besides, this Dean character was dead and he wasn’t. Shouldn’t that fact alone have been a dead give away already? Or where people in this place regularly coming back from the dead?

 

Should he be worried about zombies rising from their graves?

 

Alec took another step back, stepping further into the kitchen but instead of a retreat, it was a tactical move because now he had a clear view of Castiel. He could also see Sam to his right and the older man to his left who had gotten up as well, eying them with curiosity and focus.

 

If any one of them so much as twitched he would know about it, able to react accordingly to protect himself. A huge part of him though knew he wasn’t going to need to resort to such drastic measures but he hadn’t stayed alive for this long without being cautious. And yes, Max often told him he was anything but cautious but he was still here, wasn’t he? Where others had died or succumbed to their enemies, unable to adjust to a live outside of Manticore and its rules and regulations he was still here, alive and kicking! That had to count for something! Right?

 

He caught Castiel’s blue eyes focusing on him, another unnerving gaze sweeping over his body and Alec couldn’t quite suppress the full on body shiver running up and down his spine.

 

“So this is an angel?” Alec’s eyes never wavered but he could see Sam twitching out of the corner of his eyes.

 

“Yes,” the angel / man confirmed, “I’m an angel of the lord.”

 

There was a strange waiver though in the man’s voice which told Alec that something was left unsaid, something of importance.

 

“We figured that with our government always tinkering in secret projects,” Sam’s voice cut through the tense silence in the room, “that at some stage, Dean’s DNA must’ve been taken. We both were in an out of hospitals all our lives and since John dragged Dean into hunting a lot sooner than he did me…” Sam’s voice trailed off, leaving the sentence unfinished.

 

“Wouldn’t they though keep tabs on Alec then?” Bobby suddenly reasoned, finding a flaw in their theory. Although since Alec knew the truth, he could answer this with a resounding no. Manticore had kept tabs on him but he wasn’t ready yet to share the truth with them, not with them being hunters who freely admitted to killing anything which was different.

 

Granted, the hybrid thing had been asking for it but he didn’t know these men well enough yet to judge if they would make a distinction or if they would put him into the monster basket and then shoot him on sight.

 

And besides, hiding his true nature had been kind of ingrained into him and if Max and circumstances hadn’t brought their existence out into the open, he would’ve been perfectly happy to never tell anyone who he really was.

 

“Human ways are always mysterious to me,” Castile offered and Alec had to chuckle because it want only the angel who felt that way.

 

“Wouldn’t be the first time they lost track of things, right?” Alec tried to steer the conversation away from the topic he had thought was already closed. If they sank their teeth into it, they would find too many holes in their theory and nothing good could come off it.

 

“He’s right,” Sam agreed, “He has to be Dean’s son in some sort of imaginary way and even though we can’t prove anything right now one way or the other, I fail to see what other explanation could even come close.”

 

“I concur,” Castiel said and all eyes were on him now.

 

Alec was slowly lowering his knife until he was no longer holding it in a threatening manner but he always kept his eyes trained on everyone in his line of sight, ready to jump into a protective action should the need arise.

 

The angel might appear to be harmless. His fluffy dark hair standing up in strange angles, his handsome features and his piercing blue eyes all invited him to trust him but Alec was no fool. He came in a pretty package too and he was deadly if he put his mind to it.

 

“Do you know then how this is possible?” Sam’s voice was eager and frankly Alec wouldn’t mind knowing too. There was just one problem though, if Castiel knew the truth and spilled it then his secrete of only being part human would also come out and he wasn’t ready for that can of worms to be opened.

 

His own green eyes fixated on the angel and even though this was a long shot, he offered up a silent prayer, asking the angel to not tell them about where he had come from.

 

Castiel seemed to startle, as if pinched, his blue eyes settling again on him and maybe Alec was imagining things but was he nodding to him in a silent agreement to keep his mouth shut?

 

“I do not know who attacked Alec,” Castiel said and it didn’t escaped Alec’s attention how the angel was avoiding answering Sam’s question. “I will make inquiries though because angels out to kill a human is always of interest to me.”

 

“He’s…” Sam started before he cleared his throat, clearly unsure how to go about, “Can you tell if he is like Dean? If he’s really related to us? Is he family?”

 

Alec took a step back, allowing the angel to look him up and down and he only twitched slightly when the man put his hand onto his chest. Warmth spread through his body, even his toe was tingling and he could feel a slight hum in the air indicating something was going on even if he had no clue as to what.

 

“He is not Dean’s biological child,” the angel eventually said, taking a step back again to give Alec some space, “However Dean’s DNA is strong within him. Calling him Dean’s son might not be correct in the human way. No female was impregnated by Dean, no baby was born out of a scared union…”

 

And this time Alec couldn’t help the snort escaping because only an angel could describe sex as a sacred union.

 

“But the Winchester line is strong in him. He is a descendant of John Winchester and Mary Campbell. It is written all over him.”

 

“So he’s Michael’s vessel?” Sam’s voice held an urgency Alec couldn’t explain.

 

“What’s a vessel?”

 

“Demons possess humans uninvited but angels need permission to enter a human host, or a vessel as they call it.” Bobby explained and after a short pause he continued, “And some angels are too powerful to just get permission from anyone.”

 

“Every angel has a certain vessel,” Castiel correct, clearly wanting to focus on a point. “But only a true vessel can contain a powerful being like an archangel.”

 

“Or Lucifer,” Alec could hear Sam mumbling but before he could inquire Sam changed the topic, derailing Alec’s thoughts about Lucifer, supposed king of hell. Was that real too?

 

“With Adam and Dean dead and no real descendants from either one of them,” he said,” Alec here is the only left from that line in my family. The only vessel for Michael.”

 

Castiel blinked, seeming to be slightly startled what Sam had said but then he gave a curt nod, “You are correct. There is no true vessel out there for the archangel…” his voice waivered, his blue eyes settling on Alec again, “Until now at least because Alec is a true vessel. He represents that line of your family.”

 

“So what line is Sam’s then?” it was only logical for him to ask and frankly Alec didn’t quite understand the silence which greeted him moments later.

 

“We shouldn’t talk about this,” Bobby said but Sam interrupted him again, “He needs to know.”

 

Then Sam stared a him, clearly uncomfortable with what he was about to say, “I’ll tell you the full story later but in a nutshell, there was a war, I was supposed to hold Lucifer and Dean was supposed to be Michael and we were supposed to have this epic fight.”

 

Alec felt a but coming.

 

“But,” Sam continued and Alec smiled slightly because yes, he had been right! “I don’t know where it all changed course but instead of following some ordained path set up in heaven, Michael swooped in right at the time as I accidentally set Lucifer free. Dean agreed to be his vessel because averting the apocalypse was all that mattered at that stage and he pushed Lucifer back in his cage. Well,” Sam shrugged, “he and Michael and it cost him his life.”

 

“He literally died saving the world?” Alec didn’t bother hiding the awe in his voice because he had come across many people saying they’ve saved the world, using it as some sort of expression for something important they had done but no one, no one had ever been actually able to claim this for real.

 

His green eyes widened even further.

 

Could this be the reason why the pulse had never happened?

 

“When was this?” he asked, his whole body tension up in anticipation of what was to come. He could feel Castiel’s curious gaze on him but for some reason the angel stayed quiet, keeping his secrete.

 

“Two years ago,” Sam’s eyes flickered to the calendar on the fridge before adding, “Nearly to the date. May 14th.”

 

“That’s…that’s…”Alec was stuttering and he had to quickly shake his head to get his thoughts in order again, “That was yesterday.” He said, voice strangely quiet and subdued for once. Was it a coincidence he had been attacked by angels two years after the apocalypse had been averted? On the same date even?

 

Who did he have to kill to proof that the attack had probably happened at the exact same time as Dean two years in the past had given up his life to save the world?

 

He swallowed hard. He had always thought finding a family would change him. Not in his wildest dreams could he have imagined finding a legacy like the Winchesters.

 

“What’s your last name, son?” Bobby was apparently a master at breaking tough silences and at derailing people’s thoughts because Alec found himself answering before he could think twice about it, “McDowell.” He shrugged, not admitting to having picked the name off an advertisement the first time he had been asked.

 

Most of the X5’s had come upon their names in strange fashions and if it wasn’t for Max naming him Alec who knew what he would’ve come up for himself. Up until that moment he had never even missed having a name apart from his designation but he had to admit, Max had been right in giving him his name because Alec had felt right from the first moment she had called him that.

 

“We need to get a birth certificate set up,” Bobby continued, derailing their conversation further from the apocalypse and Dean dying. “Get Dean’s name on it in case anyone comes looking.”

 

Alec shrugged, “I’ve got it somewhere but I’m not very good at keeping track of things. It’s not as if I ever finished school or held down a job for long…”

 

“Don’t worry, son,” Bobby reassured him, “We’re experts at setting things up. Leave it to us.”

 

He wasn’t worried. He had managed so far on his own but he wasn’t going to contradict the old man. Besides, this world was probably quite different form the one he was familiar with; there were probably a lot more rules and regulations in place so maybe having a valid background was what he needed.

 

A strong hand on his chest had him nearly jumping out of his skin and only the secure grip on his arm kept him from actually taking a step backwards.

 

“Until we know what is going on, my brothers might be looking for you. It would be in your own best interest if they couldn’t track you. I’ll also ward you against possession, just to be sure.” Castiel’s reasonable voice gave the impression he actually had a choice in this but the glint in the man’s eyes told of a different story. Alec though wasn’t about to argue about having extra protection. From the looks of things he was going to need all the help he could get.

 

“Go ahead,” he said, his green eyes holding Castiel’s gaze, feeling a connection between them which he couldn’t explain or even being to understand. Castiel’s eyes smiled even though his lips never moved and he could tell the angel was amused.

 

There was a silent rapport between them, an ability to read between the lines of what was being said which was downright bizarre because usually it would take years for such an ability to develop between two soldiers. And sometimes it never did.

 

White, hot searing pain soared through him, causing him to gasp and he would’ve fallen over if Castiel hadn’t steadied him, keeping a hold of him

 

The pain ebbed away nearly as quickly as it had come over him, leaving nothing but a strange after taste in his mouth.

 

“What exactly did you do?” he asked, patting down his body to see if there were any injuries even though he knew he was physically at least unharmed.

 

“Enochian seals on your ribs, plus a marking on your chest to ward off any demon possession.”

 

“So I can’t be possessed?”

 

“Not by demons, no…”Castiel said, “and an angel would need permission which I suggest you don’t give.”

 

Alec nodded; he didn’t need to be told twice to say no to acting as one gigantic angel condom.

 

“I think I need to lie down,” Alec slowly said, feeling unsteady on his feet. He wasn’t used to feeling weak but in the last twenty four hours he had experienced quite a few things he would’ve never thought possible so maybe he shouldn’t be too hard on himself for feeling under the weather.

 

After all, how many people could claim to have gotten seals etched into their ribs by an angel of the lord?

 

“Good idea,” Sam said, “Get some rest. Bobby and I’ll get started on your documents…And we can talk about dinner when you wake up.”

 

Alec nodded, giving Sam a genuine smile before giving Castiel a confused look. The angel was up to something, he could tell.


	7. Chapter 7

He had just closed the door behind in, taking a few steps towards the bed when a familiar flutter of wings sounded from behind him.

 

He didn’t react at all because even though he should’ve, he knew there was no danger in the room with him.

 

Either his instincts had been taken to a whole new level or getting thrown out of his own time had honed them somehow, making them pick up things he normally would’ve ignored.

 

“You knew I was there,” Castiel’s voice held a hint of curiosity and when Alec turned around, throwing the angel killing knife onto the bed before he nodded.

 

“I knew you were like the men who had attacked me the moment you stepped into the room,” he said, “And I can also tell you mean me no harm.”

 

“Interesting.”

 

Alec shrugged, not sure if interesting was the right word for it.

 

“Thank you for not telling them about not being fully human,” he decided to take the bull by the horns, getting right onto the topic most important to him.

 

“You knew I could hear you?”

 

He shrugged again, “I didn’t know,” he confessed, “not for sure at least but there was this look on your face…well,” his voice falter for a moment before he continued, “Let’s say I had a good hunch you were keeping quiet because I asked you to. Thank you by the way,” he quickly added, just in case the angel didn’t know he appreciated what he had done.

 

“You’re welcome,” Castiel said, taking a few steps towards the windows.

 

“Do you know then why I’m here?”

 

“No,” Castiel said, “I felt your appearance like a bolt of lighting and I would’ve come straight away when Sam called for me but I was busy collecting my self.”

 

“Really?” Alec hadn’t expected something this drastic to have occurred.

 

“You might not know this,” the angel continued, turning around again to stare straight at him and Alec had to swallow hard, balling his fingers into fists to stop himself from taking a few steps back. This man held power and while he might look human, Alec could practically taste the raw power coming off him in harsh vibrations.

 

“But Dean and I had a bond.”

 

Alec blinked, choosing not to ask any questions, letting Castiel explain himself first. “I raised him from hell, brought him back from the dead and he carried my hand print on his shoulder until the day he died.”

 

“OK,” Alec slowly said, unsure what to do with this new information.

 

“You are not him,” Castiel said, “But in many ways you are his son. Your soul is unique. You’re not a copy of him but you do share some essence with Dean and that very essence is calling out to me.”

 

“Is this a good or a bad thing?”

 

“I do not know,” Castiel solemnly said, “It is also true that the connection between Dean and me was less tangible. I felt it in my bones but he remained mostly unaffected.”

 

“Apart from the hand print you mean,” Alec added and Castiel nodded, a shockingly human expression on his face.

 

“Something’s different with me though,” Alec continued and Castiel nodded again.

 

“You are more aware,” the angel said, “You are more in tune with the world than Dean ever was and this might be because you are not fully human.”

 

“Is this going to be a problem?” Alec chewed on his lower lip, head tilted sideways, looking cautiously at the angel.

 

“No,” Castiel almost hastily said, “Under my father’s eyes any creature living on this world is of his creation. He is the Almighty Lord and even demons and creatures of the night serve a purpose. I do not know his will in this but I will not question his wisdom.”

 

Alec had never been one to believe in any sort of religion. His twin going nuts, sprouting nonsense about seeing a Blue Lady, praying to her, killing in her name had put him off any sort of religion for life but there was something almost compelling about Castiel’s conviction.

 

“But you have no clue why someone would pluck me from the future after attacking me?”

 

“I think those two events are not related.”

 

“What?”

 

“You being brought back in time saved you, brought you to the only people who knew about your ancestry while the two angels who attacked you wanted to kill you.”

 

Alec frowned, recalling something he hadn’t really thought about before.

 

“Just before I passed out I heard a new flutter of wings,” he said slowly, thinking back to the moment on the clearing.

 

“I think yet another angel intervened, pulling you out of your time, saving you.”

 

“Can you take me back?”

 

“No.”

 

“Why not?” Alec demanded to know, “You’re an angel. I don’t belong here, this isn’t my time. In my world the apocalypse happened while here Dean averted it.”

 

Castiel blinked, a curious expression fluttering over his face, “I had not known that our time line got changed.”

 

The angel actually chewed on his lower lip, a gesture Alec was convinced he wasn’t even aware of, making him look more human than ever.

 

“I did not think taking you back to your own time would fix anything but now I know for sure, I cannot take you back home.”

 

“Why?” Alec felt like a broken record but he had to know.

 

“Because the world you came from might no longer exist.”

 

“But I came from it!”

 

“Yes,” The angel confirmed, “But in your world, the apocalypse happened while here it did not. If I were to take you two years into the future, do you think you would end up in a world where Dean didn’t fulfil his destiny? Or do you think you would simply find yourself two years in the future with Dean still dead and our saviour?”

 

This gave Alec some pause. The angel was right. He didn’t have to like it but he was.

 

“So what you’re saying is I can never go back home?” Usually Alec always managed to keep some form of control but now it was slipping. His voice wavered, shaking slightly with ever uttered word. He might always complain about Max, sometimes he even wanted to throttle her but she was his sister, his only family and the thought of never seeing her again, well, it did things to his insides he never thought he would feel!

 

And what about Dog boy? What about Joshua? The mutt was his friend and who would get him to go out into the world without him to prompt him?

 

He rubbed his chin, a sigh escaping his lips. The other were probably better off without him. Hadn’t Max always told him he was nothing but trouble? And Joshua might put up with him, humouring him even but he only tolerated him because he was one of Max’s friends.

 

“But if the future never happened,” Alec slowly mused, “Does that mean I will cease to exist? Will my friends never get born?”

 

Castiel seemed to ponder this for a moment before the angel shook his head, “You are firmly anchored to this plane, I have seen this.”

 

This was somewhat comforting to hear because Alec liked being alive and he would like to stay this way for some time to come!

 

“Time travel is no exact science,” the angel continued, “Human fiction has explained this in countless books and even though angels have the power to move through time, even we know there are restrictions and that many things are out of our control.”

 

“What does this mean?”

 

“Where you come from,” Castiel explained, “this world from our point of view no longer exists because here Dean managed to stop the apocalypse from happening. However I do not believe that the world you came from ceased to exist. It simply split off from our universe, no longer connected.”

 

“And this is why you cannot take me home any more, because the future here is no longer the future where I’ve come from.”

 

“I am truly sorry.”

 

Alec waved him off. Truthfully he hadn’t wanted to end up here but frankly he wasn’t one to dwell or to mope about things he couldn’t change.

 

“I would recommend treading carefully,” Castiel continued and even though Alec couldn’t see the man’s wings expanding he still got the impression the angel was getting ready to take flight. “I do not know why you were attacked or why one of my brothers saved you.”

 

“I think though it might have got something to do with this family legacy.”

 

“Why do you say this?”

 

“Because of the time I got attacked.” Alec explained, “Here it is two years almost to the day where you Dean died. I mean I don’t know about these things but isn’t it rather strange that I show up here so close to the second anniversary?”

 

“Hm…”Castiel hummed, “Two isn’t an important number. Three might’ve held some significance or maybe even the first anniversary but two?”

 

Alec shrugged, “I don’t know but the fact that it was the anniversary has to mean something, I’m sure of it.”

 

“I will look into this,” Castiel reassured him, “In the mean time I would suggest to be careful. Trust your instincts.”

 

Then he vanished.

 

“Trust your instincts,” Alec muttered before he rolled his eyes.

 

The bed was still calling out to him because frankly the information overload of the recent hours was finally catching up with him. He felt drained, like someone leaving the tap open until the water tank was completely depleted.

 

Some sleep would do him good and with this in mind he curled up on the bed, instinctively making himself as small as possible.

 

And he dreamt, for the first time, of the Blue Lady calling out to him, asking him to kill in her name.


	8. Chapter 8

The night burned, searing his skin. Flames were everywhere, licking, sucking, trying to take his life from him, teasing, enticing him to join them.

 

Colours, vibrant colours. Red, vivid yellow, dancing in the night, illuminating the dark corridors, calling out to him.

 

And amidst of it all, a blue flame.

 

No, not amidst…the flames roared around him, enshrouding him, shielding him from the the blue gaze, keeping him from hearing the words calling out to him.

 

Kill…kill…kill in my name…you will be one of my children…hear my call…

 

But Alec didn’t hear her call.

 

The flames where everywhere, blocking her sight, blocking her call. He could still feel her presence near him. It unsettled him; fear ran up and down his spine and fear wasn’t something the young man was used to.

 

Usually he wasn’t the one cowering in a corner, hiding his face in his arms, trying to block out the world. He was the one out there causing the fear simply by existing.

 

The flames teased, nipping at his skin but instead of shying away from their touch like he had before, he smiled, holding out his hands and allowing them to engulf him.

 

Home….he was home.

 

~~

 

With a gasp, eyes as wide a humanly possible, Alec sat up straight in the bed. His breathing was ragged, his fingers folded tightly in sheets nearly ripping it to shreds.

 

“Wake up,” a way too chipper voice called out to him and he barely had any warning before the door to his room was flung open and Sam’s head popped in. “We’ve got a hunt. You might want to come along and see what we’re all about.”

 

Sam was smiling, happy.

 

Alec blinked, still seeing flames at the edge of his vision, flinching ever so slightly.

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

All good humour was suddenly gone from Sam’s face and the man quickly crossed the distance, allowing the door to stand open.

 

“I…” Alec started, unsure what to say. Then he shook his blond head, rubbing his eyes in a gesture which made him look younger than he actually was.

 

When he looked up, a curious look fluttered over Sam’s own handsome face before it was gone.

 

When Sam reached out, tentatively rubbing the back of his hand across Alec’s cheek, the transgentic was startled and confused, unsure if he should pull away or lean into the touch.

 

Something about Sam’s mannerism though told him that this was important to the other man and for some reason Alec didn’t find it within him to upset him. So he allowed the touch but his body still held a hint of wariness.

 

“Bad dream?” Sam said easily but the haunted look in his hazel eyes told Alec loud and clear that Sam was no stranger to having his sleep interrupted.

 

“Maybe,” He hedged, not wanting to share his dream about flames and about the blue lady.

 

“You know,” Sam said carefully, “If you ever need to talk about anything, I’ll listen…”

 

“Thanks,” Alec said, pushing Sam away by crawling out of bed.

 

He wasn’t ready yet to share his innermost feelings and he doubted he ever would be but it mattered that Sam had offered. No one had done so in the past so it mattered a great deal.

 

He could feel Sam’s gaze lingering on his naked back but while Alec was many things being self conscious about being nude wasn’t one of them so he didn’t care when he walked around naked, gathering his clothes and putting them one with efficient speed.

 

“You’re like him in so many ways,” Sam’s voice was quiet, his eyes intent, “But in so many ways you are your own person. I promise you, I care for you. For you…Dean will always be there, I can’t not think of my brother when I look at you but I know you are a different person. I know you’re not him.”

 

Alec paused, frozen in the moment. His hands shook slightly when he finished pulling the shirt over his head.

 

“Thanks?” he said, voice unsure. Was he supposed to be thankful? What did anyone say to a declaration like that?

 

“I just wanted this to be clear. We’re your family. Yours…”

 

Alec gulped, then nodded.

 

He hadn’t even realized he had worried about being accepted simply because he wore Dean’s face. How had Sam been able to read him so easily? Was this a family thing?

 

He had always been able to hide his inner most thoughts behind a cocky façade and it was disconcerting to realize he might not be able to get away with the same thing here.

 

“So let’s go,” Sam changed the subject, getting up and clapping his hands. “The hunt’s supposed to be an easy one. Just a salt and burn. A good way to show you the ropes.”

 

Alec nodded, hoping to anyone willing to listen that Sam hadn’t just jinxed the entire thing.

 

He might not believe in any god watching over them but he believed in fate and maybe being a soldier had got something to do with it but he never, ever went into a mission thinking it was going to be easy even if it appeared to be a cake walk.

 

It was simply asking for trouble.

 

~~

 

Traditionally Alec would’ve expected a salt and burn which required digging up a corpse and then burning it to happen at night because…well, digging up a grave kind of sounded like a cloak and dagger operation, right?

 

Instead they stalked around a private property in broad daylight.

 

“Shouldn’t we wait for nightfall?” he asked.

 

“No one’s here.” Bobby said, “The next property is miles away and at night with our flashlights we’re more likely to be spotted from the nearby road.”

 

Alec wrinkled his nose but he had to concede the point. Still, something was off about this, he was sure.

 

The tiny hairs at the back of his neck were standing to attention and his entire body was vibrating with caution and coming from a guy who usually ran head first into danger this clearly meant something.

 

But he didn’t say anything since he was with two experienced hunters and despite his own considerate skills, he was still a novice when it came to hunting ghosts.

 

“So what does this ghost do then?” he asked casually while his eyes never stood still, casing the area, ever vigilant.

 

“The old lady living here was killed by a few teenagers looking for a good time,” Bobby elaborated. “Her next of kin buried her in the family’s graveyard out back.”

 

“There’ve been deaths reported every once in a while,” Sam continued, “All teenagers who for a dare had ventured into the house.”

 

“Kids,” Alec agreed, as if only the young ones were prone to do stupid things but it felt like the thing to say.

 

Sam chuckled.

 

“Here,” he handed an iron rod to him, “If the ghost comes at you, just swing this. Iron dispels them for a while.”

 

“Alright,” Alec gripped the iron rod, wishing for a more subtle weapon but if this was what ghost were afraid off then iron it would have to do.

 

“We’re here.” Bobby announced, coming to stand in front of an ordinary looking grave.

 

The stone plate gave the name and the usual details and with a sigh, Alec eyed the shovels. He had the sneaking suspicion that it wasn’t going to be the older guy digging the hole.

 

“Let’s get started,” Sam said, holding a shovel out to him and with a weak smile Alec nodded, digging in, in every sense of the word.

 

Minutes passed in silence while the two men dug a hole. Thankfully the body hadn’t been buried too deep and when Alec’s shovel hit wood, Sam ushered him way, finishing on his own.

 

“Stay back and watch,” the dark haired man said, throwing the shovel carelessly out of the grave and then holding out his hand for Bobby to help him out.

 

Once he was topside again, Bobby poured some lighter fluid onto the visible bones and Sam lit the match.

 

All in all, the entire thing had been rather anticlimactic. He hadn’t even gotten to see a ghost! Still, maybe he should consider himself lucky that nothing had gotten wrong considering how Sam had jinxed the whole operation earlier.

 

Alec let out a deep breath, brushing his hands on his jeans.

 

“Let’s go,” Sam said and everyone made to follow his command when suddenly Alec stopped dead.

 

His skin prickled; the air felt charged.

 

Something definitely wasn’t right.

 

“Sam,” he warned, his voice low, vibrating with caution.

 

The man stopped, turning to face him, lips open to ask a question when suddenly men appeared out of the trees, flanking them like cattle.

 

Alec’s stance changed but he didn’t take any action; he didn’t charge because he wasn’t so sure what was going on and his strangely new developed sixth sense was telling him not all was what it seemed.

 

“Demons,” Sam whispered, reaching behind him to grab his weapon while he cursed. Something about leaving a knife behind because he thought he wouldn’t have use for it…not that Alec managed to make much sense out of what was being said.

 

Nor did he have the time to ponder it though because the men suddenly charged and despite his advantages he soon was overpowered and then something heavy landed on his temple.

 

He knew only darkness after that.


	9. Chapter 9

When he came too the world snapped into existence but he didn’t not betray his awareness with so much a twitch of a muscle. He allowed the restraints which were fastened on his arms to continue to hold him in an awkward position, straining his arms and shoulders and making his back hurt like a bitch.

 

But pain was something he was sadly used to and the amount of discomfort he felt right now was nothing but a mere tickle in regards to the pain he had endured so far in his short life.

 

He sent out his senses, trying to gauge who else was in the room.

 

He could hear heavy breathing next to him and on the other side; the older hunter was cursing up a storm, shouting any sorts of names at the demons.

 

And demons those men surely had been because no mere human could’ve taken him out this swiftly. He had been taken by surprise and this wasn’t going to happen again!

 

Alec finally opened his eyes, deciding nothing further could be gleamed by playing dead. He was wondering though why no one was attempting an exorcism for wasn’t that supposed to send those creatures packing?

 

His question was answered as soon as he opened his eyes because one of those things had a knife pressed to Sam’s throat.

 

“Oh look who’s awake,” one of the things cooed.

 

Alec narrowed his eyes, taking its measure. As a man he would’ve been able to take it without breaking a sweat but even though while he might not be able to kill it with is bare hands, if he took off its head, surely it would be unable to do anyone any harm until it had found a new host.

 

And he had it on good authority that neither Bobby, Sam or him would be able to be taken over any time soon. Castiel had given him protection and while he hadn't quite appreciated this at the time, now he could go grab the angel's head and kiss him silly with his thanks. And of course seasoned hunters like Bobby and Sam wouldn't be walking around without their own protections in place so maybe, Alec squinted, this crazy plan of his could actually work out. And besides, getting in a good, violent work out might just be what the doctor ordered to keep him sane!

 

He moved his hands carefully but the shackles held. Still, he started slowly rubbing his wrists back and forth because his hands weren’t all that big and by comparison his writs were rather wide having allowed him in the past to slip out of cuffs.

 

Not without tearing some skin off but nothing really noteworthy to complain about once he was free. After all, a little pain hadn’t done him any harm yet, right?

 

His concentration though was slightly shattered when someone stepped into his field of view.

 

He stopped his efforts so wouldn't give away what he was trying to do.

 

Green eyes focused on the burly man before him, noting how he stared, looking him up and down like some sort of prized slab of meat.

 

“I didn’t know Winchester had a son,” the demon sounded pensive and curious, two things Alec was certain weren’t good emotions in a demon directed at him.

 

“So?” he challenged, “What’s it to you? Any idiot can have child or don’t you know how the mechanics work?”

 

He could hear Sam simultaneously gasping in shock while trying to stifle a laugh and Bobby was mumbling something along the lines of stupidity being hereditary.

 

Alec turned a deaf ear to both of them, focusing solely on the dark eyes before him. If the demon thought it could intimidate him by simply staring at him with pitch black eyes then he would have to be disappointed because frankly Alec had seen a lot scarier things than totally black eyes. And he didn’t scare easily to boot!

 

He might admit to some unease but this was as far as he was willing to go.

 

“You won’t be this cocky once I’m through with you…”

 

“Hold you’re horses,” A different demon said with authority, “If Dean Winchester had a son than you don’t want to mess with him until we’re got the time to enjoy it.”

 

“You’re right,” the demon replied smugly, gently tracing a line along Alec’s cheek, “This one’s too pretty to mar up quickly.”

 

Alec blinked and then he laughed, head snapping forward to take his opportunity. His wrists weren’t quite there yet but blood was a good lubricant so when his forehead connected with the demon in front of him, he yanked on both of his chains with so much force, his wrists snapped free, leaving a bloody trail behind.

 

The demon obviously hadn’t expected such a bold and probably insane move, stumbling backwards with a glazed expression on his face.

 

What he should do next, Alec had no idea because he had no clue how to recite an exorcism but he figured if he could keep them occupied long enough, either Sam or Bobby might be able to rattle one off.

 

For a moment silence reigned and then both hunters started reciting as if they had read Alec’s mind.

 

Alec ducked one blow with more speed than humanly possibly, coming up sideways to deliver his own blow to the demon’s stomach. The creatures might be hard to kill but with a satisfied smile on his face Alec noticed they could still feel pain.

 

He didn’t linger though, tackling the other demon head on, both of them landing in a heap on the floor. Alec’s good reflexes though allowed him to almost literally bounce of the ground and he was already ready for the next attack while the floored demon was scrambling to get up. He was under no illusion that he could actually win the fight but considering how twitchy the demons were, the chanting seemed to be working.

 

Suddenly the door opened and more men poured in. Behind him Sam and Bobby sped up as much as they could but Alec doubted they would be quick enough if he didn’t do something to buy them more time.

 

One demon charged with a knife at his hand causing Alec to smirk in pleasure. He loved knifes. So shiny and always easy to transport and a knife fight was more like dancing than anything else. There was a rhythm to it which greatly pleased him so engaging this demon wasn’t even a chore, it was fun.

 

The others though didn’t meekly stay back and let demon wielding a knife have all the fun and Alec was only barely able to avoid some really deadly blows while willing his mind to block away any others.

 

His hands got a hold on the knife and he came away swinging, figuring if the cut the bodies the demons were inhabiting badly enough, they might take a moment to get their insides in order again.

 

Blood flowed freely, coating his hand and when he was nearly totally engulfed with dark smoke he finally allowed himself to sink to the ground.

 

His heart was beating so fast that he thought any moment now it would fly out of his chest but there was no point to deny the splitting grin on his face.

 

This had been fun!

 

He was glad though it was also over because if the two hunters hadn’t come through, he doubted he would’ve been able to hold them off for long.

 

The smoke had finally dissipated; he quickly rose, walking over to his still chained friends, using the knife to pry the lock open.

 

It was a crude little thing, not much of a challenge.

 

When Bobby was free, the man eyed him as if he was a rare tiger about to maul him but Alec gave him a wink and moved on to free Sam before the tall man tore his own wrists off.

 

“Hold on there, don’t be hasty,” he said, shit eating grin still on his face while he freed Sam. “There you go,” he said when he was done and he wasn’t prepared at all when Sam suddenly shoved him against the wall, hands patting all over his body.

 

“Owww…” he complained loudly when he hit a few bruised rips but nothing was broken, he was sure of it.

 

“You hurt anywhere?” Sam worried, taking a step back as if looking Alec up and down from a distance would magically cue him in where he was wounded.

 

“Nah,” Alec said with a shrug, “A few bruises but I’ll live.”

 

The punch to his face moments later wasn’t expected either and his head reared sideways.

 

“If you ever do something this stupid again, I’ll bury you myself,” Sam fumed, not waiting for an answer before with a ramrod straight back he stalked out of the room.

 

“What’s eating him?” Alec complained, massaging his hurt jaw.

 

“Do you really have to ask?” Bobby looked at him as if he had two heads before shaking his head again and staring to mutter once more. The older man clearly must like muttering, Alec concluded.

 

“Hey!” he shouted after his retreating back, “I still don’t have an answer!”

 

When none was forthcoming he simply followed.

 

Outside they quickly walked through the woods towards their car, leaving the bodies behind.

 

“Is it wise to just leave them there?” Alec wondered, “I mean the look like humans now…”

 

“The house’s mostly wood,” Sam said as they reached the car, popping the hood. “I need some more fuel but it’ll burn down quickly once it’s lit.”

 

“Ah,” Alec nodded in approval.

 

Fire was quite pretty and efficient after all.

 

Sam though still wasn’t looking at him. He watched Sam’s retreating back before he shrugged. He didn’t have the inclination to worry about the tall man. If Sam had a problem with him he would have to address it and if he didn’t well, then Alec would simply walk away.

 

Alec leaned against the car, chewing on his fingers to pass the time.

 

He eyed his blade and the dark, red blood coating it. Would blood be different from a human possessed by a demon? Would it change anything on a molecular level?

 

And since when had he turned into science geek? How things worked had never been of a big interest to him unless it was his bike and maybe a fancy car.

 

He was good around anything electronic because he had been taught what he needed to know to be useful and probably because he had an affinity for it.

 

But what made humans or his fellow freaks tick? Not so much registering on his interest scale…well, up until now.

 

Had anyone ever done any research into possessed humans? Maybe hunters were too squeamish about experimenting on a poor possessed human who had gotten himself inhabited but Alec wouldn’t have those issues.

 

It was worthy to bring up later on.

 

But for now…he eyed the coated blade again. His taste buds were better than an average human’s. He was by no means in the habit of tasting human blood but he had coughed up enough of his own often enough to know how coppery it was supposed to taste so maybe if there were differences he would be able to pick up on them.

 

Just a lick then…a quick one.

 

He raised the blade, tongue peaking out, getting ready to lick when suddenly, tall, dark and deranged yanked the blade away from him, throwing it clear into the bushes before hitting him square in the jaw.

 

Alec toppled backwards and he would’ve fallen if he hadn’t been leaning against the hood. Instead his body was flattened against the surface with Sam crowding in between his now spread legs, pinning him to the metal.

 

“What…?”

 

“Sam!” Bobby shouted from behind Sam but the man didn’t move to actually pry the crazy man off him.

 

Sam’s usually handsome face was distorted into a mask of range and actually, for the first time Alec felt a stirring of unease. So far Sam had been nothing but nice. Sure, he had recognized the danger lurking underneath the surface but he honestly hadn’t expected for Sam to have a true dark side.

 

The madness currently reflected on his handsome face, the rage barely controlled though spoke of a far more interesting past than Alec could’ve ever suspected.

 

“Have you done this before?” when Alec simply blinked, not giving him an answer because he honestly didn’t know what Sam was talking about, the man shoved him back into the hood, ignoring how Alec couldn’t stifle a grunt of pain escaping from his lips.

 

“Answer me,” Sam was back to shouting, “Did you taste demon blood before?”

 

Oh, this was what had the man in such a rage…

 

“No,” Alec coughed out. By now he could’ve easily managed to free himself but he figured Sam had a point to prove. He ignored the tiny whispering voice in the back of his head which was telling him that if he could’ve so easily handled Sam why hadn’t he seen the man coming? Why had he been totally taken by surprise by a mere human?

 

“Answer me!”

 

He was being shaken again; Alec narrowed his eyes.

 

“No,” he bit out again, “I haven’t tasted blood before. Any kind unless it was mine. What do you take me for? A vampire?”

 

Sam didn’t release his hold on his neck but his stance relaxed marginally. He watched the big man take a deep breath, some sanity returning to his features.

 

“Then why did you want to try now?”

 

“Because I thought I might be able to taste a difference between human blood and blood from someone possessed by a demon.”

 

Sam started at him, mouth open.

 

“What?” Alec defended himself. “Has no one thought to do some research before?”

 

“Promise me,” Sam’s voice was hoarse, “Never, under any circumstance to ingest any sort of demon blood. Promise me.”

 

Alec was being shaken again like a sack of potatoes and he pursed his lips, contemplating to be difficult simply for the sake of it.

 

But Sam cared. He might resemble a lunatic right now but underneath it all, even someone as stunted as him when it came to emotions could read the concern. So Alec didn’t find it within him to lie or to aggravate Sam further.

 

Besides, he really had no real interest in tasting blood anyway.

 

“I promise,” he simply said and his sincerity must’ve shown because Sam searched his face for only a few seconds before releasing him, letting him go.

 

Alec made to stand, expecting his legs to keep him up when his injured one suddenly gave out underneath him and he crumpled to the floor.

 

“Damn it,” he sword up a storm.

 

“Alec!” Sam was right there beside him, steadying him while Bobby opened a car door, allowing Sam to push him into a seat while the man gently placed a hand on his right thigh. “You’re bleeding.”

 

And yes, his jeans were soaked through again. Alec shrugged. “Must’ve torn it open again while fighting.”

 

“Why didn’t you say something?”

 

“I didn’t notice.”

 

“You didn’t notice?” Sam was nearly back to screaming now while Alec felt it wise to sheepishly hang his head.

 

“Maybe berating the idiot could wait until we’re back at my place?” Bobby seemed to be the voice of reason and with one more glare levelled at him, Sam more or less shoved Alec into the car before closing the door in his face.

 

Alec closed his eyes. Whoever said ordinary humans weren’t crazy clearly had been lying.

 

He preferred his freak brothers. At least any insanity there was obvious and didn’t sneak up on you!

 

And oh my…he was related to this guy!

 

Maybe Ben going nuts while dreaming of this blue lady was also in store for him. He couldn’t shake the nagging worry in the back of his head that his dreams had already started.

 

What did it all mean?

 

~~

 

Something was wrong.

 

Alec was shivering, cold sweat pooling at the small of his back while his fingers were clammy. He squeezed his eyes shut.

 

No…too early…he shouldn’t be in need of a dose yet. When was the last time he had taken his medication? He wrecked his head, coming up with a few days prior to heading out of Terminal City so unless time travel had screwed everything up, this couldn’t be it!

 

Yet, shivers racked over his body and his thigh ached and burnt.

 

All X5’s had an error in their genetic cocktail; or maybe not so much an error as an oversight. Either way, if they didn’t get a certain substance every once in a while their bodies turned against them because they couldn’t produce it naturally. It was their only flaw; their only real weakness which in times of a mission could prove to be annoying but a single pill at regular intervals usually always did the trick.

 

It had gotten a bit hard getting his hands on one of those magic pills ever since they destroyed Manticore but in times of need, good old fashioned goat milk would do the trick too. He hadn’t even bothered looking around since getting to his new home because he wasn’t due for another dose for quite some time yet.

 

So why was he shivering? Running a fever?

 

And there was no doubt on his mind that this was what was happing.

 

His back arched while he simultaneously tried to sink into the back seat of the car. His fingers opened and closed, stretching painfully while he tried sinking into his shirt as if the thin fabric would be able to keep him warm while at the same time he also tried to get rid off it to give his achingly hot body a chance to cool down.

 

“Sammy,” he sweetened his newly found friend’s name, unaware of the silent shock emanating through the car at him using the endearment.

 

“What?” despite the short word, Sam’s voice was almost chocked, raw with emotion and if Alec hadn’t been so occupied with his own problems at the moment he might’ve wondered at what had caused the reaction. Instead all he could do was try to force his teeth from chattering. He still needed them.

 

“I don’t feel well,” he managed to squeeze out, “Something’s not right…”

 

A spasm of pain wrecked his body, causing him to squeeze his eyes shut while he fought for each breath.

 

He could hear Sam shifting in his seat, trying to get a better look at him and then…nothing…until suddenly the car screeched to a halt, doors opened and closed and then a warm, comfortable presence was next to him, cradling him in his arms.

 

“Get us home quickly, Bobby.” Sam’s voice was warm and Alec allowed his body to go slack, snuggling into the embrace.

 

He had never been one for hugs. Hell, he couldn’t recall the first time he had ever gotten a hug, probably because it had never really happened so despite feeling as ill as a dog, there was still this happy, warm, glowy feeling inside him, wanting to burst free.

 

Strange how one could be miserable and happy at the same time.


	10. Chapter 10

Part 10

Fire…hot, white flames, once again reaching out, trying to burn his body…wait…no, they weren’t trying to burn, they were shielding him from the cold, blue flames trying to get to him, trying to engulf him whole and burn away everything he was.

“Alec,”

A voice…he knew this voice. The strange, monotone tone but at the same time filled with emotions was familiar but also new…not his family then…but…Castiel?

Had he said this out loud?

Where was he anyway?

He turned but there was no body, no physical representation of who he was. The flames moved around him while at the outside of his fiery circle only darkness loomed interrupted with the occasional snaking blue flames out to get him.

He shivered.

“You’re suffering from some sort of imbalance,” Castiel’s voice was there again, his presence near even though he couldn’t see him.

“Yes,” Alec said, with his mind or with an invisible mouth, he didn’t know. What he thought simply echoed through this place. “All X5’s have this problem…but it shouldn’t be happening yet…”

“I see.”

Alec had no idea what the angel saw but it didn’t really matter. The flames snacked higher and this time a sharp burst of pain did strike through him, starting from his toes and the working its way up to his head.

“The flaw was minor,” the angel said, “I fixed it.”

“You fixed it?”

“Yes,” Castiel confirmed, “There’s no need for you to suffer. You will no longer be in need of any substance to stay whole.”

Silence.

Alec wanted to express his gratitude, his happiness because being free of this meant a lot. He had never liked being tied down and being raised in what could only be described prison, tortured into being an obedient soldier and then having freedom dangled in front of his nose only to be constantly reminded of how much in chains he still was…well, this had been hell for him, for all of them.

But at least now, he was free. One burden less to worry about.

“Thank you,” he eventually managed to find the words.

“You’re being pulled towards something…” Castiel continued, “I can snap the link, freeing you from her call but I don’t know what effects this will have on you.”

“Link? Her?” Alec shouted into the void.

Then a glowing strand of blue appeared. He looked down at his chest, seeing it anchored right over his heart.

Then a friendly presence appeared even though he still couldn’t see Castiel and then…then the blue strand snapped.

At first, there was nothing. Alec looked down, seeing the strand curling up into a ball, retreating to its source and further away from him like a ball on a string being retracted. He surely hoped when it slammed into the person responsible for his weird dreams it would hurt like a bitch!

The thought had barely left his mind when something slammed into him, knocking him backwards and if he weren’t already sort of floating in darkness, he would’ve probably broken something.

The impact sent his head snapping, his neck giving sounds of giving out while he screamed and screamed and screamed some more.

Flames rose higher, giving him warmth and comfort but this time the stabs of horror came from within, shaking his body until the darkness from the outside finally also crept inside.

And then he knew no more.

~~

Sam

Sam was pacing. At every turn he stopped, head swirling towards Alec’s too still form on the bed before he marched to the other end of the room and repeated the motion.

“You’ll make yourself ill if you keep this up,” Bobby observed, looking in.

“I know,” Sam said slowly, wringing his hands, “I just can’t stop.”

“Castiel said he’ll fix this…” Bobby tried to reassure but Sam wasn’t having any of it.

“But we still don’t know what’s wrong!” Sam paced a few more steps before he flopped down on the bed, taking Alec’s pale hand into his much larger one, holding tight. “I can’t lose him,” he said so quietly Bobby almost didn’t hear it.

“I know, Sam,” the older man said quietly. “But if Cas said he’ll take care of it then we got to trust him.”

“Not much else we can do, right?” Sam’s voice held a hint of defeat and he didn’t look up to see Bobby nodding.

“You should eat.”

“I can’t,” Sam shrugged and Bobby didn’t push any further for which Sam was grateful.

When they had gotten home, checked on Alec it had gotten apparent very quickly that he wasn’t suffering from something natural. Sure, his leg wound had opened up, bleeding fiercely but the fever racking the young man’s body had been out of this world and the onset had been so quickly that it couldn’t have been caused by some infection.

Still, they had checked him over carefully, making sure and then Bobby had hit the books even though neither one of them had ever seen a demonic disease like this. And if Alec had caught this from the demons then why hadn’t they?

In the end, Sam had called Castiel because he had been out of options. He didn’t want to call the angel all the time because he had his own problems to worry about and he had the sneaking suspicion that being around them actually made the angel sad.

In his own stoic way he had mourned Dean even if he had never uttered a single word. Now though they had Alec and Sam wasn’t sure if he was imagining it but he could practically see a special sort of bond shaping up between the two men.

Maybe Castiel’s imprint on Dean’s soul had been more permanent than either one of them had ever thought, getting passed on to Alec and like a weltering flower Castiel was now soaking up its presence.

Still, why hadn’t Castiel felt the connection before? It was almost as if Alec had dropped in but this couldn’t be right…right?

Sam squeezed Alec’s hand, hoping Castiel would come through for them. He didn’t doubt the angel would try his best but if this didn’t work, Sam was honestly out of any other options and he didn’t think he would be able to survive with his sanity intact if he would have to watch the fever burn Alec away to nothing.

He wasn’t his brother; of course he wasn’t. Sam wasn’t trying to substitute Dean with the young man even though the similarities at first had been striking. But spending only a few minutes in Alec’s presence had been enough to shape him into a man of his own and now whenever Sam looked at him he only saw Alec.

Sure, every time Alec’s facial expression reminded him of Dean there was a stab of pain so strong it was almost blinding but loosing his brother like he had, he doubted anyone would be able to totally get over that any time soon.

And even looking at Bobby reminded him of Dean and what he had lost which was why he had taken to avoid him as much as he could.

The new feeling in the pit of his stomach which oddly resembled the need to touch, to touch like he would’ve never thought of touching Dean was new though and Sam was a little bit freaked out by it.

Not that being with men was anything new for him. He didn’t believe in labels and while he and Dean had never talked about it, he was sure Dean had sought his comforts where ever he could. Dean had simply been an equal opportunity guy.

And even though Sam had mostly slept with women, he wasn’t a stranger to having a man catch his interest.

So feeling something sexual towards a man wasn’t what him tied up in knots.

He had only just met Alec and while lust could flare up from simply a glance, Sam was still in tune with his feelings to know that what he was feeling wasn’t just a passing fancy.

He sighed, hanging his head.

Alec was like a skittish colt and Sam got the distinct impression if he ever got near him with a hint of strong emotion he might run and not come back.

So he needed to approach this with caution.

If he lived of course but if Sam had learned anything in life so far was that sometimes you simply had to go on faith.

If there was nothing else left, only faith remained. And he had faith in Castiel.

~~

Castiel popped into the room unexpectedly causing Sam to nearly jump out of his skin.

“He should be waking up now,” the angel announced and for a moment their eyes locked before a soft shuffle on the bed drew Sam’s attention to the young man by his side.

“Alec?” he asked tentatively, still holding his hand and having no intention of letting go any time soon.

Castiel caught the gesture, sending him a look of approval and for a brief moment, Sam smiled bright and happy.

“What…?” Alec’s slightly slurred word brought his focus once more to the handsome face below him.

“You’re alright,” Sam quickly said, watching as Alec’s eye lids fluttered open and close, his eyes trying to focus and eventually succeeding by focusing on him.

Warmth spread through Sam like a slowly building fire but he swiftly told himself not too read too much into things.

They had met only a few days ago. It was too soon to feel anything but mere interest and maybe some fondness.

Still, his neglected heart seemed to know differently and his long buried romantic side was trying to tell him that once upon a time he did believe in love at first sight.

“Ah, Bobby,” Castiel greeted the hunter, “Please have a seat. I’ve got news.”

Alec looked wary and Sam didn’t move, keeping his seat while Bobby grabbed a chair from the nearby, sitting down.

“Go on,” the older man said.

“How long have you felt the connection?” Castiel asked Alec and at first it appeared as if the man had no clue what he was being asked before awareness flooded his face.

“I don’t know…” he slowly said before he quickly corrected himself, “No, there’s always been a buzz at the back of my mind since I got here but…”

“It got out of hand…” Castiel finished the sentence for him.

“Got here?” Sam couldn’t help but notice the odd comment.

There was a look between Castiel and Alec which Sam didn’t like but he squashed any form of jealousy because Castiel was an angel and not the least bit interested in what Sam was looking for.

And if they ever did proceed to more carnal matters, Sam would have to get used to the bond between Castiel and Alec just like he had once upon a time accepted the closeness between his brother and the angel.

“I didn’t necessarily lie,” Alec hedged, “but I didn’t tell you guys everything.”

Silence.

Then Alec continued, “I was attacked, like I said but I come from a world where the apocalypse happened. I was out in the woods minding my own business when they came after me and whoever saved me, sent me back in time to a place where you brother changed history.”

“Or maybe,” Castiel continued, “Michael saved you, snapped you back in time and then he went one step further. He made a bargain with Dean and then they stopped the apocalypse together…”

“But…” Alec objected.

Sam stared, wide eyed.

“I have not found any other reason as to why an angel would’ve wanted to save you. There is no trace of danger to you here from my brothers or sisters. And contrary to what humans like to write about, alternate realities don’t just randomly happen. We don’t time travel on mere whims and we most certainly don’t change the future because we know better.” Castiel explained. “The only reason I can think off as to why this happened is to save the world and you might not like Michael very much but his and your brother’s combined actions did make this peace possible.”

Castiel was right. It might not have been logical but Sam wasn’t overly fond of the archangel.

“So Michael witnessed what feeing Lucifer would do and decided to go back in time, change the game plane of his fellow angels and take matters into his own hands?” Summing it up like that made some sort of sense to Sam and he would have to grudgingly admit that if events played out like that, then Michael sure as hell had balls.

“Yes,” Castiel confirmed again. “Despite what you might’ve thought, Michael was one of the few who shared my sentiments in not wanting to see humanity burn. I can only assume that after seeing the world go to hell, he realized his mistakes and only when he found Alec here did he see his chance.”

“Why’s that again?” Alec wondered, “I’ve been there all the time. Why didn’t he snap me back in time sooner?”

Castiel shrugged.

“You are one human among countless others. I can find you easily enough but even without any of my sigils to protect you, Dean’s blood line alone is some sort of protection, masking you easily. Michael would’ve had to come looking for you.”

“But why attack me?”

“Because Michael’s plan was dangerous and maybe his enemies didn’t want him to succeed and change the shape of the world as they knew it.”

Castiel’s answer made sense but it painted the angel once more in a frighteningly human light with emotions and lust for power.

Bobby rubbed his stubbled chin, “So our friend here is from the future.”

“I can’t go back there,” Alec said with a slightly wavering voice, “because it no longer exists…” then the man narrowed his eyes, “What has that got to do with the blue lady?”

“Blue Lady?” Sam echoed.

“Ben, my twin,” Alec slowly said, “went sort of nuts, going on a killing spree in the name of his blue lady and I always thought he was just your average random nut but ever since I got here, there’ve been these dreams…calling me…”

“I’ve snapped the connection,” Castiel actually interrupted, “I do not know what this blue lady is but she is a real creature who had a hold on you.”

“How?” Sam demanded to know because if anything had a hold on Alec he needed to know about it so he could research it and then go and kill it. Quite simple, really.

There was yet another look shared between the two men and Alec slightly shook his head.

“I don’t want to talk about it.” He said when he saw Sam had noticed and even though Sam didn’t like secrets, he eventually nodded.

“What do I need to know then?” he asked instead.

“Ben, my twin,” Alec explained, giving him a grateful look for not pressing this further, “was killed by Max because she had no choice. I’ve always wondered if one day I would snap too but when nothing ever happened I just thought Ben was the one with the flawed genes.”

“Until you got here,” Sam added and Alec nodded.

“I have never heard of such a creature,” Castiel continued, “but I could feel her presence. It wasn’t as malicious as I would’ve expected but her pull on Alec here would’ve driven him over the edge soon enough.”

“But haven't I dreamt of her sooner?” Alec wondered.

“I can only speculate,” Castiel slowly said, “Maybe in your time your twin actually managed to silence his tormentor before he died, thus freeing you from the presence. Maybe in this time, her pull is stronger or maybe because you weren’t supposed to be here in the first place, her lure affected you in a different way.”

“We need to deal with her then,” Sam slowly said, nodding to himself. “If she is a danger then we can’t let her roam about freely.”

“I agree,” Castiel said, “I will look into this.”

“A new bad on the horizon then,” Sam almost said wistfully, “It’s been a while since we had to go up against something monumental. I’ve almost gotten bored.”

“Don’t be an idiot,” Bobby snapped but the good humour in his voice told Sam his friend knew how he had meant his statement. After all, when Dean had been alive they’ve always slithered from one disaster to the next and with Dean gone, everything had gone quiet.

“You are restored,” Castiel said to Alec and there was yet again an undercurrent of meaning Sam wasn’t privy too.

Before he could even ask, the angel vanished.

“Hm…” Bobby slowly got up, eyeing the two men before making a quick retreat. “I’ll hit the books. Got nothing else to do anyway,” he said before closing the door behind him.

Now it was only the two of them with Alec looking at him warily.

“Thanks for not pressing,” the younger man said slowly, clearly steeling himself for Sam asking questions he didn’t want him to ask.

Sam sighed. He couldn’t deny he wanted answer, he wanted to know everything but he had no right to demand that.

“I get it,” he slowly said, staring at the wall instead of the man next to him, “I can’t deny I want everything explained but if you promise me that I know everything I need to know, I’ll let it pass.”

His hand was squeezed causing Sam to turn around and look at Alec.

“You know more than most about me,” the young man said softly.

~~

Alec

The butterflies in Alec’s chest were spreading and he didn’t much like the feeling but since he was no coward he refused to run away from them.

He reached up, hand slowly rising to allow Sam the chance to pull away should he so wish. When the man made no move, he grabbed him by the neck hauling him for a deep kiss.

He bit his lip, coaxing his mouth open before he plunged his tongue in, tasting and devouring with all he had.

By the time they came up for air, Sam was wedged tightly next to him, his larger body nearly sprawled on top of Alec.

“Is this too fast?” Sam slowly said, popping his head up on his right hand, placing his other one across Alec’s chest.

With anyone else Alec might’ve felt trapped but with Sam he only felt save.

“I don’t love you,” Sam suddenly said causing the butterflies in Alec’s stomach to have fit but before he could manage to settle them down, Sam continued, “But there’s something there between us.”

His hand rose from his chest until his thumb was tracing Alec’s cheek in such a gentle and tender motion that Alec almost cried.

“I know,” Alec slowly said, “I feel it too,” he admitted.

“I think one day I could love you,” Sam continued with a soft smile on his face and Alec almost lost himself in the hazel eyes looking at him. “But I don’t want to rush things…we’ve only just met after all but I also want you to know that I want to give this thing between us a go.”

“I am not your brother.”

Sam’s face actually scrunched up in disgust but Alec had to make this point clear. From the picture he had been shown he knew how similar his looks were to Dean and if he went down this road and try something as alien to him as a relationship then he needed to know he was wanted for his own sake. And not because of a memory.

“I won’t lie,” Sam eventually said, “I’ll probably always see a part of Dean in you because I can’t help that but I know you’re not him.”

Sam’s eyes got a faraway look before he continued, “We’ve always been close and maybe we might’ve a crossed this line but we never got a chance to find out. Either way, you’re not him. You don’t have his mannerisms, there are distinct differences so you don’t need to worry that I’m in this for Dean.”

Sam rolled over until he was straddling Alec’s thighs, grabbing both of his hands and pinning them over his head. And Alec let him because despite being restrained like this had his body shivering, for the first time the shivers were actually of the good kind.

“I see you,” Sam slowly said, enunciating the words carefully, “Don’t ever worry. I want to try this with you and only you.”

Alec knew Sam was probably a skilful liar but the hazel eyes shone with sincerity he couldn’t deny. No, Sam was speaking the truth and the panicked butterflies in his stomach settled down into a content hum.

“Alright then,” a smirk spread across Alec’s face, “let’s get on with this then.”

And then he jutted his hips upwards to show Sam how much he was interested in getting better acquainted and after a startled moment on Sam’s part, the older man practically tore on Alec’s clothes until he was completely naked before he more or less ripped them off his own body.

“One day I’m going to show you the art of stripping slowly,” Alec growled, not happy with being denied the chance to slowly explore Sam’s body but the urgency flaring between them was too strong to be denied.

Sam was on him again but this time Alec spread his legs, allowing the taller man to settled between them.

“I’ve got nothing on me,” Sam whined while Alec simply pulled snaked his legs around Sam’s middle, anchoring him close.

“You can fuck me later than, for now, just touch me.”

Sam smiled wide, getting with the programme by placing his huge hands on Alec’s body, kneading and prodding, exploring and teasing until Alec was nothing but a puddle of desire with his rock hard cock strutting up like a lamp post.

Sam was rutting against him too. His own very impressive length definitely worth to be explored later on but for now, this was good.

Alec raised his hips, spread his legs wider and Sam settled between them, pressing up at the crook of Alec’s ass and while they weren’t going to all the way today, they could at least get as close as they possibly could.

Alec anchored Sam to him, trapping his cock between his ass cheeks and Sam pushed and shoved, his throbbing length brushing passed Alec’s tight hole but not once penetrating.

Alec’s own engorged shaft was bobbing angrily between their bodies and when Sam managed to grab it, squeezing it, he screamed and erupted like a volcano, spraying come over both of them.

Sam’s hips strutted on, push and shoving harsher now and Alec could almost imagine the harsh fucking he would get once they had all the supplies but for now his mind was hazy and lust filled and happy with the cloud nine he had landed on.

Post orgasm bliss was awesome.

Hot, wet come erupted against Alec’s ass and when Sam was done empting himself, the taller man settled on top of him, nestling his head in the crook of Alec’s neck.

“This is nice,” he mumbled.

Alec swatted his ass in mock anger.

“We can do better than nice…” he said while Sam sleepily replied, “Later…”

And for the first time in Alec’s life he fell asleep with a smile on his face and with hope for his future.

There were still bad things out there; the last chapter when it came to the blue lady hadn’t been written yet because if Alec could get revenge for his fallen twin then he would grab it with both hands but for now, for once, life was good.

He allowed the happy hum inside to lull him to sleep while the sun settled, dousing the world into darkness.

Two souls had found each other against all odds and nothing could possibly come between them.

Not with Alec’s tenacity and not with Sam’s stubborn will to keep what he considered his at his side.

The future was theirs.

The End.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for stopping by to read! I hope you enjoyed this story. It was my first ever crossover. You can also find this story over at LJ. The master post is [HERE, Forks Of Destiny Masterpost](http://kuhekabir-fics.livejournal.com/85809.html).
> 
> If you have enjoyed the story, please leave a comment.
> 
> Also, all errors are mine. I am aware spelling/punctuation isn't my strongest skill. But I hope you still enjoyed the story. Thanks so much for stopping by!


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